Tsukushi Chapter 1: A Wedding
Alone amongst the small stone pillars marking final resting place in a sea of the dead, a little girl stood and laid a small, simple bunch of daisies onto the blessed ground. Two streams of pink ribbons blew behind her head woven into the two braided plaits on the two sides of her head. Not a single smudge was apparent to mar the frilled, lacy dress her mother had chosen for her. A faint pink blush tickled her cheeks due to the slight cold breeze on that early spring day. Amongst the marble and stone gravestones, she could have passed for one of the angelic statues found scattered on the grounds.
"Today is a very important day, Papa. Mama said I was going to get a new father. He's a very nice man and takes real good care of Mama and me. Shinimori-san said that he was going to sign some papers making me his new daughter. I'm okay with that, but I told him that you would always be my Papa. He makes Mama happy. She's not as cranky anymore like she used to be before. She keeps saying that she hooked herself a big one. I don't know what that really means, but she smiles a lot more now." Tsukushi's head tilted to the side, contemplative of the image of her mother dancing around in her white Vera Wang wedding gown, twirling her in the air, squealing about hooking one big fish.
"Young Miss! We really must be going now. Your mother will be very angry if you are not on time for the ceremony," an elderly woman gently scolded. She tapped on her watch, showing the child that they had very little time to spare.
"Okay, Tama!" the little girl called back. Turning her head back towards the grave in front of her, she smiled. "I should go now, but I promise I'll talk to you soon again." She kissed the palm of her hand and placed it gently on the grass beneath her feet. Standing up, she primly ran her hands against the bottom of her dress before running towards her nanny. She stopped in the middle of her tracks halfway from the grave and the woman waiting for her, and ran back breathlessly. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot. Today I'm going to meet my new brother!"
Tsukushi picked up the bottom of her dress and skipped towards the outstretched hand in front of her.
"Hurry up, little one. Today is a very important day."
"Uh huh!" she fervently nodded her head in agreement.
It was all over the covers of every high society newsletter, paper, and magazine. Shinimori Koishijiro, a renowned widower, was remarrying today, a nobody at that. Tama still didn't understand what he exactly saw in the woman who one day sauntered into the house, taking over the household as if she had lived there all her life. There was and will only ever be one lady of the house and that was her late employer's wife, Shinimori Hikaru, as far as she knew. The household was turned upside down in a frenzy the past few months with word of impending nuptials to take place between Shinimori and the woman by the name of Makino Kana. He saw her as some sort of wounded bird suffering from the same loss he had endured the last eight years since his wife had passed away. He truly believed he could see some of his late wife in his new intended with her supposed grace, beauty, and humility. Although his first wife had stepped up to the challenge of coming from a status of nothing to a millionaire's wife, she had done it with dignity over time. This woman was like a steamroller, throwing out insults and commands, gaining power through fear. She was in it for the money, and her employer had loaded the gun for her to end his life. Nothing would ever be the same now.
Tama led the little girl down the stone pathway where the driver waited, silently praying to herself that this innocent child would never become anything like her cold, heartless mother. It had been a long time since she was given a young charge. She almost believed that after the young master had entered puberty, there would no longer be a need for his elderly nanny. Luckily, both Shinimoris refused to cast her aside once her duties were fulfilled. Instead she briefly was given the duty as head of the household. That is, before she came along. With the new lady of the house, she was ousted from her position. However, some good had come out of the shift in power. She was given a second chance to raise another child. It was clear from the moment she saw the tiny little thing hiding behind her mother's legs. Pure innocence. She gripped the little hand tighter.
I have no idea how a woman like that could have given birth to such an innocent child like you, little one. It was only right that I bring you here today. I don't care if she finds out what I've done. No one should ever deny a child the right to see their father whether he is alive or six feet under the earth. I can only hope you never feel any unnecessary pain in your life.
"Tama," a small voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts in the back seat of the limo. "Do you think he'll like me?"
"Of course he will, dear. Who wouldn't? I'm sure the young master will love you when he meets you."
"I hope so too. I've always wanted a brother to play with. I can't wait to meet Susumu."
"And I know he's excited to meet you too." She gently patted her on the head and turned her attention back towards the front of the car, watching the familiar gates of the estate appear in front of them. The caterers, florists, and photographers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, making last minute arrangements to the event that was sure to be the most spectacular social event of the year.
From the distance, she could faintly make out the figure of the young man they had been discussing earlier. She could only hope that he had changed his mind about his new extended family. From the way he leaned against the tree watching the festivities around him, sulking with his tuxedo jacket tossed onto the ground, white shirt untucked and haphazardly unbuttoned, and bowtie hanging around his neck, he was surely to be one of the unhappy guests. At the young age of thirteen, Shinimori Susumu showed great promise to grow up to be a heartbreaker, inheriting his mother's fine features with his light hazelnut eyes, sun-kissed complexion, and dignified presence. He truly was his mother's child with the striking resemblances in face. His raven locks, which had been dyed a coppery brown as his own act of rebellion against his latest school's dress code, was swept up in the messy style that only he could pull off as neatly put together. Little did the world know that underneath it all he was falling apart. He was in a losing battle to preserve his mother's memory.
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The tip of her tongue darted out at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated to remember what the wedding planner had told her about counting her every step and the amount of flower petals she was required to throw at each third step. Her eyebrows remained knitted in deep concentration, listening to the beat she had created in her head.
"Left, right, left, toss, left, right, left, toss."
"What the fuck are you doing?" a rude voice interrupted her in mid-chant.
Her voice stopped as she looked up at the much taller and older boy. Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Susumu!"
His eyes narrowed into two tiny slits as he examined the little girl in front of him that one of the nearby bridal party had pointed out as his new darling little sister. Little did they know they were directing the devil himself towards the unlikely angel. "Don't be so familiar with me!" he angrily snapped. "I didn't give you permission to call me by my name."
"Aren't you Susumu?" she asked with confusion clearly written on her face. "I saw your pictures in the study next to the pretty lady. Your Mama was real pretty. You look just like her."
Something inside of him snapped. Yes, he had only planned on messing with the brat before the wedding, making things clear that he wanted nothing to do with her or the bitch of a stepmother he was receiving. Deep down he knew the kid had just as much say in their parents' wedding as he did, which was none. He was seething with anger at the fact that his father was marring the memory of his own mother by marrying another woman, and in her own home nonetheless. It was insult onto injury that the child had mentioned his late mother. It wasn't until after the words came out of his mouth did he regret them, but it's always the act that must come before the regret and nothing can ever reverse it. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to shut up, you worthless piece of shit?! Let me make things clear right now. I don't want anything to do with you or your mother." He roughly grabbed her tiny wrist, wrapping his larger hand around it and yanking her closer. "Don't you ever talk about my mother again," he hissed. "I'm not your brother. You're nothing to me. You disgust me. I've never seen anyone so fucking ugly in my life."
The five-year old felt her arm being released from the death grip of her supposed new brother. That wasn't exactly the introduction she had expected. She never even realized that the basket of lilac rose petals had fallen onto the ground at her feet, nor did she feel the pain of the bruise forming on her wrist. Her mind slowly processed all the emotions running through her. bewilderment, despair, and humiliation. All of them pooled into one big, heart-wrenching howl that overshadowed the din around them. He panicked, not knowing how to make that horrible noise coming out of her to stop. It was way too late to apologize now. Like the coward he was, Susumu took that as a cue to run as if his life depended on it.
Tama immediately turned her head in the direction of the screams, completely forgetting the polite conversation she was making with one of the wedding guests. Not wasting another moment to excuse herself, she hurried towards the house where the bridal party was preparing for the walk down the aisle. She barely caught the darting shadow of Susumu rushing away from the scene of the crime. She would deal with him later. All that mattered now was getting to Tsukushi. Pushing her way through the throng of groomsmen and bridesmaids that foolishly tried to calm the hysterical child, she scooped her up into her arms. Hot tears soaked through her pale yellow blouse chosen for the occasion.
"Shh. Everything will be fine. I'm here now," she calmly whispered, trying to soothe the wracked sobs coming out of the little wounded animal.
I only hope she didn't hear this..
"What's going on out here?!" a shrill voice screeched as a door flung open. Decked out in layers of silk, tulle, and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of Swarovski crystal beads hand-sewn into the princess cut gown, Makino Kana emerged, not looking one bit happy at the sight of a wailing child on her day. She quickly composed herself in front of the audience nearby and plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Feigning worry, she rushed forward with outstretched arms and stole the child from Tama's arms, and whisked her into the room converted into a bridal chamber. Tama stiffly followed her into the room, closing the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, madam. I don't know what happened. Let me take her and get her cleaned up before the ceremony starts," Tama offered.
"Why the fuck weren't you paying better attention of her," she spat. "It's not like I don't have enough things to worry about today, with the florist bringing the wrong color orchids, the caterers losing half of the china for the reception, and dealing with your incompetence too. Look at this! She's gotten her tears all over me. Take her and get her cleaned up, and don't think that I won't have a talk with my husband about your future with us."
"Yes, madam," Tama complacently responded, ignoring her empty threat. It was only a small victory on her part, knowing that her place in the household was one of the few things that this woman could not sway Shinimori-san in changing. She was a fixture in the family. "I'll clean her up in the bathroom right now." She picked up the sniffling girl and brought her into the bathroom and sat her onto the counter. Gently she rubbed her hand on her back, trying to give some comfort. She grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water from the faucet before bringing it up to Tsukushi's lips. "Here. Drink something," she urged.
In between hiccups, Tsukushi swallowed small mouthfuls of water until she greedily drank up the whole glass to hydrate her dry mouth. The sobs stifled into small sniffles and the hot salty tears were nothing more than two dried streaks on her reddened face. "I don't know what I did," she barely audibly whispered.
"You didn't do anything. Whatever he said, he didn't mean it. He's just angry, is all."
"He hates me."
"He's.well, he's just upset, is all. He just needs some time to adjust to all the changes that are happening. You have to be patient with him. He misses his mother a lot just like you miss your father. He's still getting used to the idea that he will have a new mother. Do you understand?"
"Yes." She nodded her head in understanding.
"What did you say to him?"
"I just told him his Mama was real pretty and that he looked just like her."
"Oh." She quickly shook the look of worry that was seconds from appearing on her face. "Promise me that you won't mention his mother to him again. He doesn't like to talk about her much since he misses her so much."
"Okay. Tama?"
"Yes dear?" She continued to smooth out the wrinkles in the lace of the girl's dress. Taking a moist face cloth, she wiped away the signs of tears on her face. She held up a tissue to her nose and commanded, "Blow."
Tsukushi blew her nose into the soft Kleenex and wiped away the last few tears that collected in her eyes. "Do you think I'm ugly?"
Tama frowned at the question, wondering where she could have gotten that idea into her head. "Of course not." She watched as a small smile curled up on her lips. "You're always beautiful, especially when you have that smile on your face."
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Tsukushi did keep that smile on her face the entire time throughout the ceremony as she walked down the aisle tossing rose petals in the air while doing a little dance or skip that resembled a woodland nymph. The sheer sight of her childlike exuberance earned her a small chuckle from her new stepfather, a strained smile on her mother's face that showed a promise of death if she tripped and ruined the ceremony, and the small smiles from the guests watching in mirth at Tsukushi's antics. From the ceremony to the reception, Tsukushi smiled. As far as she knew, if she smiled she would be beautiful.
"I want to dance again, Tama!" Tsukushi playfully pouted, trying to hold onto her nanny's hand while swaying her hips to the music provided by the live orchestra.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not as young as I used to be, young miss. How about we sit down and enjoy some cake before we take another spin on the dance floor?"
Tsukushi placed a small finger on her lip, weighing her options. She quickly nodded her head and excitedly replied, "Okay."
Tama laughed and guided her through the dancing couples, who would every once in awhile stop them to place some praise on Tsukushi's wonderful little performance down the aisle. With each pat on the head her smile widened at her accomplishment. Finally, making their way out of the crowds, she placed Tsukushi onto one of the chairs at the head table and motioned for a waiter to walk over.
"What can I do for you two lovely ladies?" he asked.
"Can you bring us two slices of cake, young man?"
"Make sure it has some flowers on it!" Tsukushi added, pointing towards the ten-layer cake with lilacs spilling down the sides and small multi-colored butter cream roses painstakingly piped along each layer.
"Coming right up," he nodded, heading back towards the serving table where another waiter was busy slicing up the monstrous dessert.
"You stay right here. I'm going to go get you some milk. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay!" Tsukushi watched as her caretaker walked away and waved at her new father dancing with her mother on the dance floor. He brightly smiled at her and waved back pulling her mother into another dramatic twirl. She greedily absorbed all the sights and sounds around her, barely registering the waiter who returned holding a large slice of cake in front of her. "Ooh! I have three flowers."
"This is a secret between me and you," he winked. "I talked them into giving you some extra flowers."
Tsukushi gladly shook his hand swearing to take their secret to the grave, "Thanks. I won't tell anyone." She picked up her fork and took one hard stab into the sugary confection before shoving it into her face. "Mmm," she moaned as the rich chocolate mousse inside melted in her mouth. Little did she know two pairs of eyes were watching her every move.
Nearby, another boy a few years older walked by her table holding a piece of cake in his hand, searching for a place to sit. He wickedly smiled to himself, seeing the large piece of cake in front of the unsuspecting girl. "Hey, what's that over there!" he yelled, pointing at some distant figure. Quickly he switched the plates while her head was turned.
She turned around after seeing nothing and picked up her forgotten fork. The smile on her face dropped as she saw the small measly sliver on her plate. She turned to the boy to see him taking a triumphant forkful of her cake into his mouth. "Hey, that's mine."
"What are you talking about? It's not my fault if you're such a pig and ate all your cake," he retorted.
She reached over and attempted to take her plate back, but was pushed back by the boy. "That is mine!"
"Give it back or I'm going to tell."
"I don't care. Go ahead. You can't do anything to me. Finders, keepers, losers, weepers."
Tsukushi huffed in pure rage. Being bullied once that day had pushed her past her breaking point and this boy was really getting on her nerves. She grabbed his hand and did the first thing that came to mind.
"You bit me!"
She held his hand in his mouth like a rabid dog refusing to let go until he relinquished her food. The coppery taste of blood began to fill her mouth. When he jerked his hand away she admired her work in his hand, smirking at the two tiny punctures in the skin.
"Now you're going to get it!" He balled his hand into a fist and pounded it right into the cake, smashing the delicate flowers into small piles of mush. He smiled to himself, ready to take that same fist and pound it into her face. Girl or no girl, he was beyond pissed off. He almost delighted in the way she cowered and tightly closed her eyes awaiting her punishment. "No one dares touch."
The person standing by the wall watching the entire interaction between the children decided to step in before any more bloodshed took place. Raising a fist in the air, he dropped it like a hammer on the younger boy's head. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit a girl?"
The boy yelped in pain at the unexpected attack and spun around ready to start a fight with his assailant. "Who are you? This is between me and her."
"I know you," he laughed. "I'm her brother and you better get the hell out of here. I know someone else who would love to beat the crap out of you if they found out you were bullying a defenseless five year old. If I see or hear that you bully her again I'll make sure I'll make your life a living hell."
"Fine," he surrendered. He slinked off, nursing his bloody hand and ran off towards a group of adults. As soon as he was out of earshot he began animatedly talking and pointing towards their direction, probably retelling the tale of the injustice done to him.
Susumu shrugged his shoulder, not really caring if the brat told on him. He looked down at the chunk of smashed up cake and frowned. He turned around and walked away leaving Tsukushi rather dumbfounded with what just happened. Just as he walked away, Tama came back to the table.
"What happened to your cake?" she asked. "And what is this I hear about you biting people?"
"He started it," she whined. "He stole my cake."
"And you thought it would be a good idea to bite him?"
"I was hungry," she innocently joked.
Tama had to fight to hold back the laugh that was about to explode from her mouth. "That's no excuse. You stay here, while I go apologize to his parents for your rude behavior. Don't think that you are going to get out of this unpunished, young lady. I'm going to go help them find a first aid kit to bandage up his hand. You stay right here and when I come back you are going straight to bed."
Tsukushi mutely nodded in compliance and stared at the tablecloth, trying to avoid the disappointed glare coming from Tama. Minutes later after she was forced to apologize to the beastly child that instigated the whole ordeal, she was ushered away from the party tent set up in the south side of the estate to the main house. After being bathed, brushed, and dressed she was unceremoniously put in bed. Tama tucked her in one last time and walked out the door muttering to herself something about avoiding a lawsuit.
It was hours later when Tsukushi was roughly shaken by someone to wake up. Her eyes jolted open. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she tried to focus her vision in the blinding light which was turned on. She could distantly hear the faint sounds of the band winding down for the night after the long party. She reached over and felt something or someone beside her. Shock appeared on her face as she turned to come face to face with her new brother. Instantly she sat up to see what was wrong.
Susumu reached behind his back and pulled out a large plate with what looked to be the top layer of the wedding cake on it. Streams of flowers overflowed on the top with the added figures of bride and groom gracing it. "Here. I saw that you didn't get to eat any cake earlier. I got you an even better slice." Mechanically he held out a fork for her, offering her to take the first bite.
Tentatively, Tsukushi took the offered fork and gingerly took a small bite of the cake. She didn't really know how to take the situation. What would one do if they were to be awakened in the middle of the night by someone who hours earlier proclaimed their disdain for you, but was now offering you cake? She chewed in silence watching Susumu take a giant stab of the cake himself and shoving the forkful in his mouth. They remained that way eating in silence for a few minutes before Tsukushi had to ask.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I don't need a reason to do anything. I do things because I want to, kid."
"Oh." She placed the fork on plate and swallowed the last bit of cake her stomach could handle.
"You did good out there," he grunted. "I mean, that kid will think twice before he messes with you again. You took a pretty good chomp outta him."
"Thanks," she blushed, remembering her bold move earlier. "Did you mean what you said earlier about being my brother?"
"I guess so," he shrugged. "It looks like I've got to be your brother now. You can barely take care of yourself letting other kids trick you like that."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For talking about your Mama. I know what it's like to miss someone. My Papa died too. My teacher told me it's okay though, because when good people like your Mama and my Papa die, they go to heaven and live with angels. They watch over us, so you don't need to miss them so much. They're always with us."
Susumu fought the smile that refused to be contained. He placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "It's okay. I forgive you."
"So you don't hate me anymore?! Are you really going to be my brother?!" She stood up onto the bed and jumped up and down giddily. "I was so excited when Shinimori-san told me I was going to have a new brother."
He stood up from the bed and caught her in mid jump. Picking up the half- eaten layer of cake and putting it on the floor, he pushed the covers back. Gently Tsukushi was placed back in bed.
"Can I call you onii-san?"
"Yeah, I was serious when I said I'd be your big brother. You can just call me Susumu."
"Okay!" she happily chirped under the yawn that was overpowering her. Sleepily her eyes fluttered shut.
"You should go to sleep."
"Uh huh."
He leaned in slowly to her face, studying how cute she really was. He didn't get a good chance to take a look at her up close before since he was hell-bent on taking out all his pent-up aggressions on her. Now, looking at her peacefully laying in bed, he realized just how much of a bastard he had really been to lay such harsh words on a five year old. He was no better than that bully from earlier. "I'm sorry about what I said to you earlier, Tsukushi."
"You called me by my name," she sleepily smiled. "It's okay. I wasn't mad at you."
He listened to her soft breaths as she drifted off into a blissful sleep. He plucked the bride and groom figurines off the cake, thinking that she would probably like them and placed them on her nightstand. Taking one last glance at her, he lightly kissed her on the forehead, listening to her slight murmuring in her sleep. Picking up the evidence of their late night binge, he walked towards the door and flicked off the light switch. Slowly he closed the door behind him, but stopped to take one last quick glance of the small figure asleep on the bed.
In the midst of the dark stillness of the room he made a promise. "I will be a good brother to you. I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again," he whispered to himself.
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A/N: Here is the first prequel installment of mini-stories for each of the characters of Last Resort. All I've got to say is ANGST! ANGST! And more ANGST! There will be some very hardcore R going on here later.
Alone amongst the small stone pillars marking final resting place in a sea of the dead, a little girl stood and laid a small, simple bunch of daisies onto the blessed ground. Two streams of pink ribbons blew behind her head woven into the two braided plaits on the two sides of her head. Not a single smudge was apparent to mar the frilled, lacy dress her mother had chosen for her. A faint pink blush tickled her cheeks due to the slight cold breeze on that early spring day. Amongst the marble and stone gravestones, she could have passed for one of the angelic statues found scattered on the grounds.
"Today is a very important day, Papa. Mama said I was going to get a new father. He's a very nice man and takes real good care of Mama and me. Shinimori-san said that he was going to sign some papers making me his new daughter. I'm okay with that, but I told him that you would always be my Papa. He makes Mama happy. She's not as cranky anymore like she used to be before. She keeps saying that she hooked herself a big one. I don't know what that really means, but she smiles a lot more now." Tsukushi's head tilted to the side, contemplative of the image of her mother dancing around in her white Vera Wang wedding gown, twirling her in the air, squealing about hooking one big fish.
"Young Miss! We really must be going now. Your mother will be very angry if you are not on time for the ceremony," an elderly woman gently scolded. She tapped on her watch, showing the child that they had very little time to spare.
"Okay, Tama!" the little girl called back. Turning her head back towards the grave in front of her, she smiled. "I should go now, but I promise I'll talk to you soon again." She kissed the palm of her hand and placed it gently on the grass beneath her feet. Standing up, she primly ran her hands against the bottom of her dress before running towards her nanny. She stopped in the middle of her tracks halfway from the grave and the woman waiting for her, and ran back breathlessly. "Oh yeah! I almost forgot. Today I'm going to meet my new brother!"
Tsukushi picked up the bottom of her dress and skipped towards the outstretched hand in front of her.
"Hurry up, little one. Today is a very important day."
"Uh huh!" she fervently nodded her head in agreement.
It was all over the covers of every high society newsletter, paper, and magazine. Shinimori Koishijiro, a renowned widower, was remarrying today, a nobody at that. Tama still didn't understand what he exactly saw in the woman who one day sauntered into the house, taking over the household as if she had lived there all her life. There was and will only ever be one lady of the house and that was her late employer's wife, Shinimori Hikaru, as far as she knew. The household was turned upside down in a frenzy the past few months with word of impending nuptials to take place between Shinimori and the woman by the name of Makino Kana. He saw her as some sort of wounded bird suffering from the same loss he had endured the last eight years since his wife had passed away. He truly believed he could see some of his late wife in his new intended with her supposed grace, beauty, and humility. Although his first wife had stepped up to the challenge of coming from a status of nothing to a millionaire's wife, she had done it with dignity over time. This woman was like a steamroller, throwing out insults and commands, gaining power through fear. She was in it for the money, and her employer had loaded the gun for her to end his life. Nothing would ever be the same now.
Tama led the little girl down the stone pathway where the driver waited, silently praying to herself that this innocent child would never become anything like her cold, heartless mother. It had been a long time since she was given a young charge. She almost believed that after the young master had entered puberty, there would no longer be a need for his elderly nanny. Luckily, both Shinimoris refused to cast her aside once her duties were fulfilled. Instead she briefly was given the duty as head of the household. That is, before she came along. With the new lady of the house, she was ousted from her position. However, some good had come out of the shift in power. She was given a second chance to raise another child. It was clear from the moment she saw the tiny little thing hiding behind her mother's legs. Pure innocence. She gripped the little hand tighter.
I have no idea how a woman like that could have given birth to such an innocent child like you, little one. It was only right that I bring you here today. I don't care if she finds out what I've done. No one should ever deny a child the right to see their father whether he is alive or six feet under the earth. I can only hope you never feel any unnecessary pain in your life.
"Tama," a small voice called out, snapping her out of her thoughts in the back seat of the limo. "Do you think he'll like me?"
"Of course he will, dear. Who wouldn't? I'm sure the young master will love you when he meets you."
"I hope so too. I've always wanted a brother to play with. I can't wait to meet Susumu."
"And I know he's excited to meet you too." She gently patted her on the head and turned her attention back towards the front of the car, watching the familiar gates of the estate appear in front of them. The caterers, florists, and photographers were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, making last minute arrangements to the event that was sure to be the most spectacular social event of the year.
From the distance, she could faintly make out the figure of the young man they had been discussing earlier. She could only hope that he had changed his mind about his new extended family. From the way he leaned against the tree watching the festivities around him, sulking with his tuxedo jacket tossed onto the ground, white shirt untucked and haphazardly unbuttoned, and bowtie hanging around his neck, he was surely to be one of the unhappy guests. At the young age of thirteen, Shinimori Susumu showed great promise to grow up to be a heartbreaker, inheriting his mother's fine features with his light hazelnut eyes, sun-kissed complexion, and dignified presence. He truly was his mother's child with the striking resemblances in face. His raven locks, which had been dyed a coppery brown as his own act of rebellion against his latest school's dress code, was swept up in the messy style that only he could pull off as neatly put together. Little did the world know that underneath it all he was falling apart. He was in a losing battle to preserve his mother's memory.
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The tip of her tongue darted out at the corner of her mouth as she concentrated to remember what the wedding planner had told her about counting her every step and the amount of flower petals she was required to throw at each third step. Her eyebrows remained knitted in deep concentration, listening to the beat she had created in her head.
"Left, right, left, toss, left, right, left, toss."
"What the fuck are you doing?" a rude voice interrupted her in mid-chant.
Her voice stopped as she looked up at the much taller and older boy. Recognition flashed in her eyes. "Susumu!"
His eyes narrowed into two tiny slits as he examined the little girl in front of him that one of the nearby bridal party had pointed out as his new darling little sister. Little did they know they were directing the devil himself towards the unlikely angel. "Don't be so familiar with me!" he angrily snapped. "I didn't give you permission to call me by my name."
"Aren't you Susumu?" she asked with confusion clearly written on her face. "I saw your pictures in the study next to the pretty lady. Your Mama was real pretty. You look just like her."
Something inside of him snapped. Yes, he had only planned on messing with the brat before the wedding, making things clear that he wanted nothing to do with her or the bitch of a stepmother he was receiving. Deep down he knew the kid had just as much say in their parents' wedding as he did, which was none. He was seething with anger at the fact that his father was marring the memory of his own mother by marrying another woman, and in her own home nonetheless. It was insult onto injury that the child had mentioned his late mother. It wasn't until after the words came out of his mouth did he regret them, but it's always the act that must come before the regret and nothing can ever reverse it. "Didn't anyone ever tell you to shut up, you worthless piece of shit?! Let me make things clear right now. I don't want anything to do with you or your mother." He roughly grabbed her tiny wrist, wrapping his larger hand around it and yanking her closer. "Don't you ever talk about my mother again," he hissed. "I'm not your brother. You're nothing to me. You disgust me. I've never seen anyone so fucking ugly in my life."
The five-year old felt her arm being released from the death grip of her supposed new brother. That wasn't exactly the introduction she had expected. She never even realized that the basket of lilac rose petals had fallen onto the ground at her feet, nor did she feel the pain of the bruise forming on her wrist. Her mind slowly processed all the emotions running through her. bewilderment, despair, and humiliation. All of them pooled into one big, heart-wrenching howl that overshadowed the din around them. He panicked, not knowing how to make that horrible noise coming out of her to stop. It was way too late to apologize now. Like the coward he was, Susumu took that as a cue to run as if his life depended on it.
Tama immediately turned her head in the direction of the screams, completely forgetting the polite conversation she was making with one of the wedding guests. Not wasting another moment to excuse herself, she hurried towards the house where the bridal party was preparing for the walk down the aisle. She barely caught the darting shadow of Susumu rushing away from the scene of the crime. She would deal with him later. All that mattered now was getting to Tsukushi. Pushing her way through the throng of groomsmen and bridesmaids that foolishly tried to calm the hysterical child, she scooped her up into her arms. Hot tears soaked through her pale yellow blouse chosen for the occasion.
"Shh. Everything will be fine. I'm here now," she calmly whispered, trying to soothe the wracked sobs coming out of the little wounded animal.
I only hope she didn't hear this..
"What's going on out here?!" a shrill voice screeched as a door flung open. Decked out in layers of silk, tulle, and a few hundred thousand dollars worth of Swarovski crystal beads hand-sewn into the princess cut gown, Makino Kana emerged, not looking one bit happy at the sight of a wailing child on her day. She quickly composed herself in front of the audience nearby and plastered on a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. Feigning worry, she rushed forward with outstretched arms and stole the child from Tama's arms, and whisked her into the room converted into a bridal chamber. Tama stiffly followed her into the room, closing the door behind her.
"I'm sorry, madam. I don't know what happened. Let me take her and get her cleaned up before the ceremony starts," Tama offered.
"Why the fuck weren't you paying better attention of her," she spat. "It's not like I don't have enough things to worry about today, with the florist bringing the wrong color orchids, the caterers losing half of the china for the reception, and dealing with your incompetence too. Look at this! She's gotten her tears all over me. Take her and get her cleaned up, and don't think that I won't have a talk with my husband about your future with us."
"Yes, madam," Tama complacently responded, ignoring her empty threat. It was only a small victory on her part, knowing that her place in the household was one of the few things that this woman could not sway Shinimori-san in changing. She was a fixture in the family. "I'll clean her up in the bathroom right now." She picked up the sniffling girl and brought her into the bathroom and sat her onto the counter. Gently she rubbed her hand on her back, trying to give some comfort. She grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water from the faucet before bringing it up to Tsukushi's lips. "Here. Drink something," she urged.
In between hiccups, Tsukushi swallowed small mouthfuls of water until she greedily drank up the whole glass to hydrate her dry mouth. The sobs stifled into small sniffles and the hot salty tears were nothing more than two dried streaks on her reddened face. "I don't know what I did," she barely audibly whispered.
"You didn't do anything. Whatever he said, he didn't mean it. He's just angry, is all."
"He hates me."
"He's.well, he's just upset, is all. He just needs some time to adjust to all the changes that are happening. You have to be patient with him. He misses his mother a lot just like you miss your father. He's still getting used to the idea that he will have a new mother. Do you understand?"
"Yes." She nodded her head in understanding.
"What did you say to him?"
"I just told him his Mama was real pretty and that he looked just like her."
"Oh." She quickly shook the look of worry that was seconds from appearing on her face. "Promise me that you won't mention his mother to him again. He doesn't like to talk about her much since he misses her so much."
"Okay. Tama?"
"Yes dear?" She continued to smooth out the wrinkles in the lace of the girl's dress. Taking a moist face cloth, she wiped away the signs of tears on her face. She held up a tissue to her nose and commanded, "Blow."
Tsukushi blew her nose into the soft Kleenex and wiped away the last few tears that collected in her eyes. "Do you think I'm ugly?"
Tama frowned at the question, wondering where she could have gotten that idea into her head. "Of course not." She watched as a small smile curled up on her lips. "You're always beautiful, especially when you have that smile on your face."
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Tsukushi did keep that smile on her face the entire time throughout the ceremony as she walked down the aisle tossing rose petals in the air while doing a little dance or skip that resembled a woodland nymph. The sheer sight of her childlike exuberance earned her a small chuckle from her new stepfather, a strained smile on her mother's face that showed a promise of death if she tripped and ruined the ceremony, and the small smiles from the guests watching in mirth at Tsukushi's antics. From the ceremony to the reception, Tsukushi smiled. As far as she knew, if she smiled she would be beautiful.
"I want to dance again, Tama!" Tsukushi playfully pouted, trying to hold onto her nanny's hand while swaying her hips to the music provided by the live orchestra.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not as young as I used to be, young miss. How about we sit down and enjoy some cake before we take another spin on the dance floor?"
Tsukushi placed a small finger on her lip, weighing her options. She quickly nodded her head and excitedly replied, "Okay."
Tama laughed and guided her through the dancing couples, who would every once in awhile stop them to place some praise on Tsukushi's wonderful little performance down the aisle. With each pat on the head her smile widened at her accomplishment. Finally, making their way out of the crowds, she placed Tsukushi onto one of the chairs at the head table and motioned for a waiter to walk over.
"What can I do for you two lovely ladies?" he asked.
"Can you bring us two slices of cake, young man?"
"Make sure it has some flowers on it!" Tsukushi added, pointing towards the ten-layer cake with lilacs spilling down the sides and small multi-colored butter cream roses painstakingly piped along each layer.
"Coming right up," he nodded, heading back towards the serving table where another waiter was busy slicing up the monstrous dessert.
"You stay right here. I'm going to go get you some milk. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Okay!" Tsukushi watched as her caretaker walked away and waved at her new father dancing with her mother on the dance floor. He brightly smiled at her and waved back pulling her mother into another dramatic twirl. She greedily absorbed all the sights and sounds around her, barely registering the waiter who returned holding a large slice of cake in front of her. "Ooh! I have three flowers."
"This is a secret between me and you," he winked. "I talked them into giving you some extra flowers."
Tsukushi gladly shook his hand swearing to take their secret to the grave, "Thanks. I won't tell anyone." She picked up her fork and took one hard stab into the sugary confection before shoving it into her face. "Mmm," she moaned as the rich chocolate mousse inside melted in her mouth. Little did she know two pairs of eyes were watching her every move.
Nearby, another boy a few years older walked by her table holding a piece of cake in his hand, searching for a place to sit. He wickedly smiled to himself, seeing the large piece of cake in front of the unsuspecting girl. "Hey, what's that over there!" he yelled, pointing at some distant figure. Quickly he switched the plates while her head was turned.
She turned around after seeing nothing and picked up her forgotten fork. The smile on her face dropped as she saw the small measly sliver on her plate. She turned to the boy to see him taking a triumphant forkful of her cake into his mouth. "Hey, that's mine."
"What are you talking about? It's not my fault if you're such a pig and ate all your cake," he retorted.
She reached over and attempted to take her plate back, but was pushed back by the boy. "That is mine!"
"Give it back or I'm going to tell."
"I don't care. Go ahead. You can't do anything to me. Finders, keepers, losers, weepers."
Tsukushi huffed in pure rage. Being bullied once that day had pushed her past her breaking point and this boy was really getting on her nerves. She grabbed his hand and did the first thing that came to mind.
"You bit me!"
She held his hand in his mouth like a rabid dog refusing to let go until he relinquished her food. The coppery taste of blood began to fill her mouth. When he jerked his hand away she admired her work in his hand, smirking at the two tiny punctures in the skin.
"Now you're going to get it!" He balled his hand into a fist and pounded it right into the cake, smashing the delicate flowers into small piles of mush. He smiled to himself, ready to take that same fist and pound it into her face. Girl or no girl, he was beyond pissed off. He almost delighted in the way she cowered and tightly closed her eyes awaiting her punishment. "No one dares touch."
The person standing by the wall watching the entire interaction between the children decided to step in before any more bloodshed took place. Raising a fist in the air, he dropped it like a hammer on the younger boy's head. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to hit a girl?"
The boy yelped in pain at the unexpected attack and spun around ready to start a fight with his assailant. "Who are you? This is between me and her."
"I know you," he laughed. "I'm her brother and you better get the hell out of here. I know someone else who would love to beat the crap out of you if they found out you were bullying a defenseless five year old. If I see or hear that you bully her again I'll make sure I'll make your life a living hell."
"Fine," he surrendered. He slinked off, nursing his bloody hand and ran off towards a group of adults. As soon as he was out of earshot he began animatedly talking and pointing towards their direction, probably retelling the tale of the injustice done to him.
Susumu shrugged his shoulder, not really caring if the brat told on him. He looked down at the chunk of smashed up cake and frowned. He turned around and walked away leaving Tsukushi rather dumbfounded with what just happened. Just as he walked away, Tama came back to the table.
"What happened to your cake?" she asked. "And what is this I hear about you biting people?"
"He started it," she whined. "He stole my cake."
"And you thought it would be a good idea to bite him?"
"I was hungry," she innocently joked.
Tama had to fight to hold back the laugh that was about to explode from her mouth. "That's no excuse. You stay here, while I go apologize to his parents for your rude behavior. Don't think that you are going to get out of this unpunished, young lady. I'm going to go help them find a first aid kit to bandage up his hand. You stay right here and when I come back you are going straight to bed."
Tsukushi mutely nodded in compliance and stared at the tablecloth, trying to avoid the disappointed glare coming from Tama. Minutes later after she was forced to apologize to the beastly child that instigated the whole ordeal, she was ushered away from the party tent set up in the south side of the estate to the main house. After being bathed, brushed, and dressed she was unceremoniously put in bed. Tama tucked her in one last time and walked out the door muttering to herself something about avoiding a lawsuit.
It was hours later when Tsukushi was roughly shaken by someone to wake up. Her eyes jolted open. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she tried to focus her vision in the blinding light which was turned on. She could distantly hear the faint sounds of the band winding down for the night after the long party. She reached over and felt something or someone beside her. Shock appeared on her face as she turned to come face to face with her new brother. Instantly she sat up to see what was wrong.
Susumu reached behind his back and pulled out a large plate with what looked to be the top layer of the wedding cake on it. Streams of flowers overflowed on the top with the added figures of bride and groom gracing it. "Here. I saw that you didn't get to eat any cake earlier. I got you an even better slice." Mechanically he held out a fork for her, offering her to take the first bite.
Tentatively, Tsukushi took the offered fork and gingerly took a small bite of the cake. She didn't really know how to take the situation. What would one do if they were to be awakened in the middle of the night by someone who hours earlier proclaimed their disdain for you, but was now offering you cake? She chewed in silence watching Susumu take a giant stab of the cake himself and shoving the forkful in his mouth. They remained that way eating in silence for a few minutes before Tsukushi had to ask.
"Why are you doing this?"
"I don't need a reason to do anything. I do things because I want to, kid."
"Oh." She placed the fork on plate and swallowed the last bit of cake her stomach could handle.
"You did good out there," he grunted. "I mean, that kid will think twice before he messes with you again. You took a pretty good chomp outta him."
"Thanks," she blushed, remembering her bold move earlier. "Did you mean what you said earlier about being my brother?"
"I guess so," he shrugged. "It looks like I've got to be your brother now. You can barely take care of yourself letting other kids trick you like that."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"For talking about your Mama. I know what it's like to miss someone. My Papa died too. My teacher told me it's okay though, because when good people like your Mama and my Papa die, they go to heaven and live with angels. They watch over us, so you don't need to miss them so much. They're always with us."
Susumu fought the smile that refused to be contained. He placed his hand on her head and ruffled her hair. "It's okay. I forgive you."
"So you don't hate me anymore?! Are you really going to be my brother?!" She stood up onto the bed and jumped up and down giddily. "I was so excited when Shinimori-san told me I was going to have a new brother."
He stood up from the bed and caught her in mid jump. Picking up the half- eaten layer of cake and putting it on the floor, he pushed the covers back. Gently Tsukushi was placed back in bed.
"Can I call you onii-san?"
"Yeah, I was serious when I said I'd be your big brother. You can just call me Susumu."
"Okay!" she happily chirped under the yawn that was overpowering her. Sleepily her eyes fluttered shut.
"You should go to sleep."
"Uh huh."
He leaned in slowly to her face, studying how cute she really was. He didn't get a good chance to take a look at her up close before since he was hell-bent on taking out all his pent-up aggressions on her. Now, looking at her peacefully laying in bed, he realized just how much of a bastard he had really been to lay such harsh words on a five year old. He was no better than that bully from earlier. "I'm sorry about what I said to you earlier, Tsukushi."
"You called me by my name," she sleepily smiled. "It's okay. I wasn't mad at you."
He listened to her soft breaths as she drifted off into a blissful sleep. He plucked the bride and groom figurines off the cake, thinking that she would probably like them and placed them on her nightstand. Taking one last glance at her, he lightly kissed her on the forehead, listening to her slight murmuring in her sleep. Picking up the evidence of their late night binge, he walked towards the door and flicked off the light switch. Slowly he closed the door behind him, but stopped to take one last quick glance of the small figure asleep on the bed.
In the midst of the dark stillness of the room he made a promise. "I will be a good brother to you. I'll never let anyone hurt you ever again," he whispered to himself.
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A/N: Here is the first prequel installment of mini-stories for each of the characters of Last Resort. All I've got to say is ANGST! ANGST! And more ANGST! There will be some very hardcore R going on here later.