[Original] Photograph
The following is a story I wrote over a year and a half ago for Meta-nii-san who had been feeling under the weather. This comes from a thread over on AnimeOtaku. Its an AO based fict so most of my flisters probably wont know any of the characters besides me, but I included everyone who I call my siblings over on AO (and one other person makes a cameo ^_^). Since it's been exactly a year since my Meta sadly left this world, I thought Id post this here as a little tribute. I decided not to alter the post at all so everything you'll read is exactly how it was back on 8/5/06 when I posted it. Enjoy.
**********
ok my turn to try this, I got some inspiration from meta nii-san (who's story was awesome :kakashi: ) and this is for all my sibs on AO ^^ (espc for meta, I hope youre feeling better :hug: )
Story is called Photograph
Characters
Yami 18
Keng 16
Kanako 13
Yukari 11
Cuda and Kogure 7
Meta 5
Photograph
The wind blew the cottonwood from the trees creating a snowflake like dance as they fell to the ground. Beneath the tree, Yami sat on a red and white checked blanket watching her younger siblings play. It was the summer of her 18th birthday and while most girls would have been having fun with friends, there was no place in the world Yami would rather have been. She knew times like this were not going to last. Her dreamy peacefulness was interrupted as she heard Meta crying and running toward her.
“Onee-sama,” he whined as massive tears dripped down his face, “Cuda-nii pushed me off the swing.”
“It was an accident,” Cuda yelled running after Meta, “Nee-chan, I didn’t mean too.” Kogure was following him.
“It was! Cuda didn’t mean it.” Kogure defended his twin.
Meta threw himself into Yami’s lap, burying his face in her chest. Yami ran her hands through Meta’s brown hair.
“I think you’re fine. Cuda just be more careful, okay?” Yami winked at him.
Meta looked up at her. “Onee-sama, you’ll always take care of me right?” his eyes locking with hers.
“Yes Meta, I will.”
As if a light switch had been flipped, Meta’s face burst into a grin. “Okay!” he exclaimed running off with Cuda and Kogure following.
“He’s such a baby.”
Yami looked over her shoulder seeing Keng walking up. “He is the baby.” she replied.
“And you don’t help with that.” He sighed, sitting down next to hear.
Keng was the second oldest only 14 months younger then Yami. He and Yami had assumed the “parent” roles after theirs had died. Keng was the breadwinner and the disciplinary even though most of the kids behaved, there was always Yukari. Yami did the housework and watched Meta and Cuda during the day. Neither herself nor Keng had been in school for two years. Yukari and Kanako still went, there tuition had been paid for and Yami wanted some hint of normality in their lives but she could not budget sending the boys, money was tight enough.
“Have you seen Yuka lately?” Keng looked around.
Yami suppressed a laugh, “Not long ago when she was forcing Kanako over the fence. She didn’t want to go over and pulled Yuka in protest, both fell landing in the mud so I sent them to the house to change.”
Keng rolled his eyes.
Just then Yuka stomped onto the blanket and plopped down. “I don’t like Kanako anymore,” she sat with her arms folded, pouting, “All she wants to do is talk about boys and put those ribbons in her hair and play dress-up.”
Yuka had always been a tom-boy and up until recently so had Kanako but finally her inner girly girl had broken out and she did not like looking for frogs in the pond, climbing trees or anything dirty in general. Yuka was loosing her playmate and refused to play with Meta or the twins.
“What about Meta, Cuda and Kogure” Yami suggested but already knew the answer.
“They’re too young, they can’t climb, plus Meta cried when I found that bullfrog the other day.” Yuka complained but then she looked at Keng.
“Nii-sama?” her voice was overly sweet. “Will you come with me?”
Yami thought Yuka’s face was going to break her smile was that big.
Keng stared at her for a second. “Fine.” He always had a soft spot for her.
Jumping up Yuka exclaimed, “Thank you, Nii-sama, I’ll go get my net.” She ran off passing Kanako. Yami saw Yuka stick her tongue out as Kanako walked by. Kanako looked much more girly then before. She wore a yellow sundress and had two red ribbons in her hair.
“Any food left?” she asked.
Yami slid the picnic basket over to her, “Yeah, the boys didn’t eat all of it.”
The twins and Meta had moved from the swing to the creek that ran through the backyard into the pond. This was where Yuka went looking for frogs. Yami wondered what Meta’s reaction would be this time if they found one.
Running back up the hill, Yuka had returned with her finishing net, “Ready Nii-sama?”
“Hold on.” Yami got up from the blanket. “Meta, Cuda, Kogure come here for a minute.” Yami pulled a camera out of the basket and set it on the fence, positioning it perfectly. “Everyone sit, I want a group picture, Yuka don’t roll your eyes at me.”
Everyone sat. Keng, Yami, Yuka in back. Kanako, Cuda, Kogure in front and Meta on Yami’s lap. The flash clicked. Their smiles caught in time…
Rain beat down against the window as Yami sat at her desk, staring at the photograph. Usually she kept it face down but today she wanted to see them again. Tears ran down her face as she gazed at their smiles. Five years had passed since the photograph had been taken. Not long after the bank had foreclosed on the house and social services found out their situation.
Since Yami already was 18 she was not sent to foster care but everyone else was. Truly that had been the worst day of her life. Watching her beloved siblings crying and screaming as they were taken away..
Over the years she had tried to learn where they had ended up. Foster care still would not grant her complete access to the files. They did tell her that one month after being place in an orphanage, Keng ran away. No one bothered to find him since he was older then most of the other kids. The girls had been place together but just like her brother, Yuka also ran away. From what Yami had learned Kanako was still living with her foster family. No one had any information on the twins or Meta, if they did they were not telling.
Meta. He had screamed so badly as they took him away.
“WHY!! WHY!! ONEE-SAMA!!! WHY CAN’T YOU COME WITH ME?”
The words echoed in Yami’s head. She would never forget them. Her goal was to reunite her family. She had to find them but even after five tears she was not much closer.
She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.
“You shouldn’t do that, I know how upset it makes you.” Dai’s voice was warm and soothing.
Yami half-smiled. “ I know, I just wanted to see them again.”
Dai knelt down beside her. “You’ll find them.”
“I know.” Yami sighed and laid the photograph face down again.
^_^
**********
ok my turn to try this, I got some inspiration from meta nii-san (who's story was awesome :kakashi: ) and this is for all my sibs on AO ^^ (espc for meta, I hope youre feeling better :hug: )
Story is called Photograph
Characters
Yami 18
Keng 16
Kanako 13
Yukari 11
Cuda and Kogure 7
Meta 5
Photograph
The wind blew the cottonwood from the trees creating a snowflake like dance as they fell to the ground. Beneath the tree, Yami sat on a red and white checked blanket watching her younger siblings play. It was the summer of her 18th birthday and while most girls would have been having fun with friends, there was no place in the world Yami would rather have been. She knew times like this were not going to last. Her dreamy peacefulness was interrupted as she heard Meta crying and running toward her.
“Onee-sama,” he whined as massive tears dripped down his face, “Cuda-nii pushed me off the swing.”
“It was an accident,” Cuda yelled running after Meta, “Nee-chan, I didn’t mean too.” Kogure was following him.
“It was! Cuda didn’t mean it.” Kogure defended his twin.
Meta threw himself into Yami’s lap, burying his face in her chest. Yami ran her hands through Meta’s brown hair.
“I think you’re fine. Cuda just be more careful, okay?” Yami winked at him.
Meta looked up at her. “Onee-sama, you’ll always take care of me right?” his eyes locking with hers.
“Yes Meta, I will.”
As if a light switch had been flipped, Meta’s face burst into a grin. “Okay!” he exclaimed running off with Cuda and Kogure following.
“He’s such a baby.”
Yami looked over her shoulder seeing Keng walking up. “He is the baby.” she replied.
“And you don’t help with that.” He sighed, sitting down next to hear.
Keng was the second oldest only 14 months younger then Yami. He and Yami had assumed the “parent” roles after theirs had died. Keng was the breadwinner and the disciplinary even though most of the kids behaved, there was always Yukari. Yami did the housework and watched Meta and Cuda during the day. Neither herself nor Keng had been in school for two years. Yukari and Kanako still went, there tuition had been paid for and Yami wanted some hint of normality in their lives but she could not budget sending the boys, money was tight enough.
“Have you seen Yuka lately?” Keng looked around.
Yami suppressed a laugh, “Not long ago when she was forcing Kanako over the fence. She didn’t want to go over and pulled Yuka in protest, both fell landing in the mud so I sent them to the house to change.”
Keng rolled his eyes.
Just then Yuka stomped onto the blanket and plopped down. “I don’t like Kanako anymore,” she sat with her arms folded, pouting, “All she wants to do is talk about boys and put those ribbons in her hair and play dress-up.”
Yuka had always been a tom-boy and up until recently so had Kanako but finally her inner girly girl had broken out and she did not like looking for frogs in the pond, climbing trees or anything dirty in general. Yuka was loosing her playmate and refused to play with Meta or the twins.
“What about Meta, Cuda and Kogure” Yami suggested but already knew the answer.
“They’re too young, they can’t climb, plus Meta cried when I found that bullfrog the other day.” Yuka complained but then she looked at Keng.
“Nii-sama?” her voice was overly sweet. “Will you come with me?”
Yami thought Yuka’s face was going to break her smile was that big.
Keng stared at her for a second. “Fine.” He always had a soft spot for her.
Jumping up Yuka exclaimed, “Thank you, Nii-sama, I’ll go get my net.” She ran off passing Kanako. Yami saw Yuka stick her tongue out as Kanako walked by. Kanako looked much more girly then before. She wore a yellow sundress and had two red ribbons in her hair.
“Any food left?” she asked.
Yami slid the picnic basket over to her, “Yeah, the boys didn’t eat all of it.”
The twins and Meta had moved from the swing to the creek that ran through the backyard into the pond. This was where Yuka went looking for frogs. Yami wondered what Meta’s reaction would be this time if they found one.
Running back up the hill, Yuka had returned with her finishing net, “Ready Nii-sama?”
“Hold on.” Yami got up from the blanket. “Meta, Cuda, Kogure come here for a minute.” Yami pulled a camera out of the basket and set it on the fence, positioning it perfectly. “Everyone sit, I want a group picture, Yuka don’t roll your eyes at me.”
Everyone sat. Keng, Yami, Yuka in back. Kanako, Cuda, Kogure in front and Meta on Yami’s lap. The flash clicked. Their smiles caught in time…
Rain beat down against the window as Yami sat at her desk, staring at the photograph. Usually she kept it face down but today she wanted to see them again. Tears ran down her face as she gazed at their smiles. Five years had passed since the photograph had been taken. Not long after the bank had foreclosed on the house and social services found out their situation.
Since Yami already was 18 she was not sent to foster care but everyone else was. Truly that had been the worst day of her life. Watching her beloved siblings crying and screaming as they were taken away..
Over the years she had tried to learn where they had ended up. Foster care still would not grant her complete access to the files. They did tell her that one month after being place in an orphanage, Keng ran away. No one bothered to find him since he was older then most of the other kids. The girls had been place together but just like her brother, Yuka also ran away. From what Yami had learned Kanako was still living with her foster family. No one had any information on the twins or Meta, if they did they were not telling.
Meta. He had screamed so badly as they took him away.
“WHY!! WHY!! ONEE-SAMA!!! WHY CAN’T YOU COME WITH ME?”
The words echoed in Yami’s head. She would never forget them. Her goal was to reunite her family. She had to find them but even after five tears she was not much closer.
She felt a pair of hands on her shoulders.
“You shouldn’t do that, I know how upset it makes you.” Dai’s voice was warm and soothing.
Yami half-smiled. “ I know, I just wanted to see them again.”
Dai knelt down beside her. “You’ll find them.”
“I know.” Yami sighed and laid the photograph face down again.
^_^