Returning to normalcy...
...Or closer to what can be defined as normal for me and the people close to me...
...It's been a long few weeks....But it's always this way for me at this time of the year...Like time is slowing down to a crawl while I try to endure memories of the worst thing to ever happen to me the entire time...Or two worst things as of last year...They say with time, things get easier for you...Though after going through this again for eight years now, I don't believe that's the case for myself...It still hurts as much now as it did eight years ago...
...
......But I've had a special guest with me for this year to help me endure it all, and I believe that just having Keigo there through the worst of it made a world of difference...And I know he was feeling troubled by his own worries as well at the time, which makes it all the more special that he was able to try and forget them just for my sake....I probably don't thank him enough for everything he goes through on my behalf, but it really means a lot to me.....So thank you, Keigo. I know it's impossible to make the hurting stop, but with you there with me, it eases the pain...
...And thank you to all of my friends who've stood by me through this...I know it might seem like just a part of the yearly routine that you all go through with me every time come November, but it still makes me happy and comforts me knowing you're all by my side for all of it....
Though despite the rather depressing atmosphere that hung over the Chinen and Hirakoba households during the time we were there, there was some positive moments as well...And some moments that made me smile and laugh.....Like how for the first time since 'Toutou-san died, I actually got to see my sister smile on her birthday~~ Due in part to a gift of a little calico kitten that she pretty much hasn't put down since she got it~~ ......Except for when she was busy making out with her boyfriend, who seemed to be the other cause for her smiling...So I suppose that despite me still disliking the fact they're even dating in the first place, I have to acknowledge the fact that Roka did well and helped out a lot also...Still gonna lop off his dick if he tries to get too touchy-feely with Etsuko, though......And no, I'm not exaggerating. But she ended up naming the kitten Kokoro, since the she's got this little heart-shaped black spot on her forehead...It's rather cute~~ I'm normally not much of a cat person myself, but I know Etsuko had been wanting one for a long time now...So it's good to see her happy now that she has one~~ The thing is tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand, though. And I kept worrying that I was going to accidentally step on her and crush her if she ended up getting underfoot...Which is why I'm glad that Etsuko hasn't put her down at all...Last thing I wanted to do was kill her gift and make her feel even worse...
But while I didn't end up stepping on a kitten, I did end up stepping on other things...Namely, eggs. Because Etsuko wasn't the only one given a pet...Keigo got one for Masuyo too.....In the form of a damn chicken...Yes, really. Because that's what *he* wanted for a pet, and it just wouldn't have been fair for both of his sisters to have their own pets but not him...Problem is, the bird keeps laying eggs everywhere and everyone kept stepping on them...Masuyo refuses to put the damn thing outside, though, despite Kaa-san's screaming at him to do so. And everytime she attempted to do so herself, Masuyo just brought her back inside...He loves the bird, though, and even has her sleep in his bed with him...And unsurprisingly, he ended up naming her after his favorite person...I tried to reason with him that Keigo was a boy's name and that was a girl chicken, but I learned a long time ago that trying to use logic on my baby brother doesn't really work...So the name of Keigo shall be sticking to his female feathered friend...
Aside from that, there was also happiness and a bit of celebration and a bit of saying "about damn time" over the fact that my grandfather is no longer a hopeless bachelor anymore~~ Thanks to some help on Rin's part, Nan finally gave in to his efforts to sweep her off her feet~~ ...And directly into bed, as Rin got to enjoy listening to~~ Though I and pretty much everyone else in my house got to listen to it as well a few days later, when Nan decided to stay the night at our place.....I don't think anyone got much sleep that night because they got so loud....But admittedly, as wrong as it may sound, I found myself feeling oddly impressed with the old man's endurance...You wouldn't expect a man in his 70s to be that...er, virile. I kept worrying that he was going to end up having a heart attack as a result...But he didn't, and was looking rather bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come morning, despite being glared at by Kaa-san...She was just jealous, though~~ ...So it gives me a lot of hope for my own future~~ I'll be able to get it up for Keigo for plenty of decades to come still~~♥ They look really happy together, though~~ And I'm happy for them because of it....Nan's a wonderful woman...One of the best I've ever gotten the chance to know.....And she deserves a wonderful man by her side making her happy in a way that she's never had before...And there are few men that I can call as wonderful as Ojii-san is...So I can only wish all the best for the two of them and hope they find all they're looking for in one another~~ ...That, plus, I just happen to think old people being in love to be rather cute to watch~~ ...Though, if everything goes well between them...and I'm sure it will...there's a large possibility that me and Rin will end up related to each other when they get married...My best friend will end up becoming my cousin~~
...But while that particular relationship has my full support, there's another attempted one that doesn't...Namely my uncle's continued efforts to try and charm my mother....And I spent a good amount of my time back home getting pissed over the way he kept looking at her...along with the subtle attempts to try and touch various parts of her anatomy...Fucking bastard made it clear from the day he got to our house that he wasn't even there to join us in mourning over his brother....HIS OWN FUCKING TWIN BROTHER...No, he was there to try and get into the pants of his dead brother's widow....And I know I was far from the only one who got upset about it...Even his own older brother, Nobu-Ojisan, ended up asking him what was wrong with him for the way he was acting...I almost ended up hitting him on a few occasions because of it...However, I ended up not needing to...As the task was taken from me by my father's best friend~~ ...Which lead to another reason for me to be happy~~ Kenji-san beat the shit out of him~~ He had originally came over to try and apologize to my mother and him for giving Yori-Ojisan a black eye a few days earlier while Kenji-san was drunk after he took offense over the way he was acting...But then the douchebag made the mistake of saying how Kenji-san hitting him had actually helped him out and that Kaa-san was now doting on him because of it and tending to all his needs because of it...Complete with a suggestive wink.......And I think that wink in and of itself was enough to make Kenji-san snap, because the next thing I knew, he was flinging himself at Yori-Ojisan and giving him a matching set of black eyes...In response, Kaa-san started shrieking and ended up jumping on Kenji-san's back to try and stop it when he wouldn't listen to her pleas to stop at all...which did little good, as he still kept hitting him...So she then tried to call for me to help her stop him......I just stood in the doorway and laughed with Ojii-san at the situation, though, since he hates the fucker also and was just as glad to see him get what he deserves~~ Eventually, Nobu-Ojisan came over and pulled Kenji-san off him, though...But by then, Yori-Ojisan was already looking a lot worse for wear...Dumbass obviously doesn't have my father's talents in martial arts or fighting...He was cowering like a retard and trying to curl up into a ball and ended up yelping like a sissy the entire time.....Despite being practically twice the size of Kenji-san...And by the time he left with the rest of my father's family, he was looking slightly akin to a jigsaw puzzle because of Kenji-san's efforts (complete with a broken nose~~!) and he was short on the goodbyes, ready to leave......So Kenji-san is now officially my hero~~♥ He beat up the bad guy and saved a pretty lady~~ Even if she is pissed at him right now for things and choosing to not speak to him at the moment...She'll get over it, though...
...I know...this probably isn't the last I'll have to see of the man, since if he's gone this far after all these years, he's not about to give up that easily....But he won't have my mother that easily either....Even in her state of loneliness, she won't give it up without good reason...And *I* won't let her be taken advantage of...Not by him, not by anyone...So it's time to strategize...Because I think I'm going to need it in this case...As he'll be back...most likely for Christmas. And I'm not going to let him do this to us again...Not to us, and not to Kenji-san either.....I really don't want to see that expression on his face again...
...But now with the month drawing to an end, it's time to put this old chapter in my life up on the shelf for another year...until it's time again...In the meantime, I'll return to focusing on the good memories of 'Toutou-san when he was alive......And make plans to get wasted again~~ I always put a personal ban from alcohol upon myself every year during this time, since I've found that in my state of depression, if I drink at all, I won't be able to stop once I start....And then next thing I know, I'll end up waking up in the hospital again after having gotten alcohol poisoning and needing to get my stomach pumped because of it.....As a result, I haven't touched a single drop of alcohol in 18 days....Yeah, I know...Gasp and shock...Chinen Hiroshi has been sober for almost three weeks...This must surely be a sign of the apocalypse~~ ...So to prevent the four horsemen from showing up, I have made the decision to go out and get drunk this weekend~~ And as such, anyone who wants to do so is more than welcome to come and join me in the boozing~~ The more, the merrier, in fact~~ ......And since I still owe you your birthday gift, of sorts, Kei, we can take care of that at the same time, if you want...
[OOC: I hereby dub "Chinen cradling a kitten in the palm of his hand" to be one of the most bizarrely adorable things to see in the world. ^^ ...Also, just because it keeps nagging at me, please give Nan an actual name, Liz. Just so I have something that Chinen's grandfather would refer to her as. >>;]
...It's been a long few weeks....But it's always this way for me at this time of the year...Like time is slowing down to a crawl while I try to endure memories of the worst thing to ever happen to me the entire time...Or two worst things as of last year...They say with time, things get easier for you...Though after going through this again for eight years now, I don't believe that's the case for myself...It still hurts as much now as it did eight years ago...
...
......But I've had a special guest with me for this year to help me endure it all, and I believe that just having Keigo there through the worst of it made a world of difference...And I know he was feeling troubled by his own worries as well at the time, which makes it all the more special that he was able to try and forget them just for my sake....I probably don't thank him enough for everything he goes through on my behalf, but it really means a lot to me.....So thank you, Keigo. I know it's impossible to make the hurting stop, but with you there with me, it eases the pain...
...And thank you to all of my friends who've stood by me through this...I know it might seem like just a part of the yearly routine that you all go through with me every time come November, but it still makes me happy and comforts me knowing you're all by my side for all of it....
Though despite the rather depressing atmosphere that hung over the Chinen and Hirakoba households during the time we were there, there was some positive moments as well...And some moments that made me smile and laugh.....Like how for the first time since 'Toutou-san died, I actually got to see my sister smile on her birthday~~ Due in part to a gift of a little calico kitten that she pretty much hasn't put down since she got it~~ ......Except for when she was busy making out with her boyfriend, who seemed to be the other cause for her smiling...So I suppose that despite me still disliking the fact they're even dating in the first place, I have to acknowledge the fact that Roka did well and helped out a lot also...Still gonna lop off his dick if he tries to get too touchy-feely with Etsuko, though......And no, I'm not exaggerating. But she ended up naming the kitten Kokoro, since the she's got this little heart-shaped black spot on her forehead...It's rather cute~~ I'm normally not much of a cat person myself, but I know Etsuko had been wanting one for a long time now...So it's good to see her happy now that she has one~~ The thing is tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand, though. And I kept worrying that I was going to accidentally step on her and crush her if she ended up getting underfoot...Which is why I'm glad that Etsuko hasn't put her down at all...Last thing I wanted to do was kill her gift and make her feel even worse...
But while I didn't end up stepping on a kitten, I did end up stepping on other things...Namely, eggs. Because Etsuko wasn't the only one given a pet...Keigo got one for Masuyo too.....In the form of a damn chicken...Yes, really. Because that's what *he* wanted for a pet, and it just wouldn't have been fair for both of his sisters to have their own pets but not him...Problem is, the bird keeps laying eggs everywhere and everyone kept stepping on them...Masuyo refuses to put the damn thing outside, though, despite Kaa-san's screaming at him to do so. And everytime she attempted to do so herself, Masuyo just brought her back inside...He loves the bird, though, and even has her sleep in his bed with him...And unsurprisingly, he ended up naming her after his favorite person...I tried to reason with him that Keigo was a boy's name and that was a girl chicken, but I learned a long time ago that trying to use logic on my baby brother doesn't really work...So the name of Keigo shall be sticking to his female feathered friend...
Aside from that, there was also happiness and a bit of celebration and a bit of saying "about damn time" over the fact that my grandfather is no longer a hopeless bachelor anymore~~ Thanks to some help on Rin's part, Nan finally gave in to his efforts to sweep her off her feet~~ ...And directly into bed, as Rin got to enjoy listening to~~ Though I and pretty much everyone else in my house got to listen to it as well a few days later, when Nan decided to stay the night at our place.....I don't think anyone got much sleep that night because they got so loud....But admittedly, as wrong as it may sound, I found myself feeling oddly impressed with the old man's endurance...You wouldn't expect a man in his 70s to be that...er, virile. I kept worrying that he was going to end up having a heart attack as a result...But he didn't, and was looking rather bright-eyed and bushy-tailed come morning, despite being glared at by Kaa-san...She was just jealous, though~~ ...So it gives me a lot of hope for my own future~~ I'll be able to get it up for Keigo for plenty of decades to come still~~♥ They look really happy together, though~~ And I'm happy for them because of it....Nan's a wonderful woman...One of the best I've ever gotten the chance to know.....And she deserves a wonderful man by her side making her happy in a way that she's never had before...And there are few men that I can call as wonderful as Ojii-san is...So I can only wish all the best for the two of them and hope they find all they're looking for in one another~~ ...That, plus, I just happen to think old people being in love to be rather cute to watch~~ ...Though, if everything goes well between them...and I'm sure it will...there's a large possibility that me and Rin will end up related to each other when they get married...My best friend will end up becoming my cousin~~
...But while that particular relationship has my full support, there's another attempted one that doesn't...Namely my uncle's continued efforts to try and charm my mother....And I spent a good amount of my time back home getting pissed over the way he kept looking at her...along with the subtle attempts to try and touch various parts of her anatomy...Fucking bastard made it clear from the day he got to our house that he wasn't even there to join us in mourning over his brother....HIS OWN FUCKING TWIN BROTHER...No, he was there to try and get into the pants of his dead brother's widow....And I know I was far from the only one who got upset about it...Even his own older brother, Nobu-Ojisan, ended up asking him what was wrong with him for the way he was acting...I almost ended up hitting him on a few occasions because of it...However, I ended up not needing to...As the task was taken from me by my father's best friend~~ ...Which lead to another reason for me to be happy~~ Kenji-san beat the shit out of him~~ He had originally came over to try and apologize to my mother and him for giving Yori-Ojisan a black eye a few days earlier while Kenji-san was drunk after he took offense over the way he was acting...But then the douchebag made the mistake of saying how Kenji-san hitting him had actually helped him out and that Kaa-san was now doting on him because of it and tending to all his needs because of it...Complete with a suggestive wink.......And I think that wink in and of itself was enough to make Kenji-san snap, because the next thing I knew, he was flinging himself at Yori-Ojisan and giving him a matching set of black eyes...In response, Kaa-san started shrieking and ended up jumping on Kenji-san's back to try and stop it when he wouldn't listen to her pleas to stop at all...which did little good, as he still kept hitting him...So she then tried to call for me to help her stop him......I just stood in the doorway and laughed with Ojii-san at the situation, though, since he hates the fucker also and was just as glad to see him get what he deserves~~ Eventually, Nobu-Ojisan came over and pulled Kenji-san off him, though...But by then, Yori-Ojisan was already looking a lot worse for wear...Dumbass obviously doesn't have my father's talents in martial arts or fighting...He was cowering like a retard and trying to curl up into a ball and ended up yelping like a sissy the entire time.....Despite being practically twice the size of Kenji-san...And by the time he left with the rest of my father's family, he was looking slightly akin to a jigsaw puzzle because of Kenji-san's efforts (complete with a broken nose~~!) and he was short on the goodbyes, ready to leave......So Kenji-san is now officially my hero~~♥ He beat up the bad guy and saved a pretty lady~~ Even if she is pissed at him right now for things and choosing to not speak to him at the moment...She'll get over it, though...
...I know...this probably isn't the last I'll have to see of the man, since if he's gone this far after all these years, he's not about to give up that easily....But he won't have my mother that easily either....Even in her state of loneliness, she won't give it up without good reason...And *I* won't let her be taken advantage of...Not by him, not by anyone...So it's time to strategize...Because I think I'm going to need it in this case...As he'll be back...most likely for Christmas. And I'm not going to let him do this to us again...Not to us, and not to Kenji-san either.....I really don't want to see that expression on his face again...
...But now with the month drawing to an end, it's time to put this old chapter in my life up on the shelf for another year...until it's time again...In the meantime, I'll return to focusing on the good memories of 'Toutou-san when he was alive......And make plans to get wasted again~~ I always put a personal ban from alcohol upon myself every year during this time, since I've found that in my state of depression, if I drink at all, I won't be able to stop once I start....And then next thing I know, I'll end up waking up in the hospital again after having gotten alcohol poisoning and needing to get my stomach pumped because of it.....As a result, I haven't touched a single drop of alcohol in 18 days....Yeah, I know...Gasp and shock...Chinen Hiroshi has been sober for almost three weeks...This must surely be a sign of the apocalypse~~ ...So to prevent the four horsemen from showing up, I have made the decision to go out and get drunk this weekend~~ And as such, anyone who wants to do so is more than welcome to come and join me in the boozing~~ The more, the merrier, in fact~~ ......And since I still owe you your birthday gift, of sorts, Kei, we can take care of that at the same time, if you want...
[OOC: I hereby dub "Chinen cradling a kitten in the palm of his hand" to be one of the most bizarrely adorable things to see in the world. ^^ ...Also, just because it keeps nagging at me, please give Nan an actual name, Liz. Just so I have something that Chinen's grandfather would refer to her as. >>;]