Chapter five of DI fic
Title: Islands Like Glass Towers - Chapter Five
Writer: lynxgriffin
Rating: No higher than G-PG for now
Spoilers: This takes place even before BBS, so there's some BBS spoilers
Characters/Pairings: Sora's dad/Sora's mom, with a side of Riku's dad/Riku's mom
Warnings: Pregnancy and/or childbirth in later chapters, plus adorable bitties. Also expect some Final Fantasy cameos.
Notes: Aaaand delving into a little more mystery stuff now...
Taro told himself not to worry about Jecht's words, and for a long time, he didn't. The initial excitement wore off as the weeks turned into one, two, three months. Emi got sick sometimes, but he was always there to help her feel better. And whenever he wasn't, Lana was often around to step in. Emi did what she could to stay healthy and in high spirits, and that in turn made Taro feel better. He and Hoku set to work on their off time setting up the upstairs spare room so that it could eventually become the baby's room. That meant several hours out of the week spent sanding, repairing and painting.
But then, as the weeks ticked on, Emi began to act...strangely.
It was hardly noticeable at first. Just brief pauses in their conversation, as if she'd stopped to think about something. A few moments where she spontaneously burst into tears. Days here and there where she'd skip a meal without thinking about it. Emi had always been shy about expressing how she felt, but Taro had always been able to read her. But now, it was getting harder and harder to guess what she was thinking. And that in turn worried Taro a little.
However, that nagging worry was nothing compared to what Taro experienced one early Tuesday morning.
As usual, he woke up an hour and a half before sunrise so that he could get to work on time. As routine dictated, he usually left his sleeping wife a kiss on the forehead, changed clothes, went downstairs for a cup of coffee and a quick muffin, then grabbed his gear and headed for the fishery. But this morning, when he woke up, Emi wasn't there.
Taro was confused at first...then figured she must have gotten up to see the restroom. He stretched, shuffled out of bed and walked over to the adjoining bathroom. "Emi, you in there?" he asked, knocking softly on the door.
There was no answer. He swung the door halfway open; the bathroom was empty. Taro frowned...Emi almost never got up as early as he did. And if she did, she stayed in bed.
Slipping on his house shoes, he padded over to the spare room down the hall. Maybe she'd suddenly gotten a late-night spark of inspiration on arranging the room? That had happened at odd times.
"Emi?"
But the spare room was empty, save for a pile of finished wood meant to eventually be constructed into a child's bed. The single window was closed.
Don't worry. She's somewhere in the house, Taro told himself, biting his lip. He walked downstairs, a bit quicker this time. The kitchen was dark, empty and soundless, except for the wall clock's ticking.
"Emi?"
No answer. He jogged to the living room, and it was just as dark and empty. No one in the dining room, or in the storage closet.
Taro felt something start to build up in the pit of his stomach...a knot, tightening, pulling on his heartstrings. He tried to squash it down, to tell himself it was okay, but the worry just bubbled back up. It was four in the morning, and Emi wasn't in the house.
Wearing little more than his robe and slippers, Taro rushed out of the house. Outside, the night was warm and humid, full of the sounds of crickets and nighttime birds. Emi was nowhere in the garden, or on the path. He looked across the street toward Hoku and Lana's house, but all of their lights were off. The whole street was dark and silent; asleep until morning.
"Emi!"
Panic. Taro had never felt it before, but he still recognized it. He didn't know how, or why, but Emi was gone, and his mind overflowed with a writhing mass of terrible thoughts. She was hurt, she was scared, someone had taken her, she'd vanished, she was gone and he'd never see the love of his life again...
He started to run, down the path and out into the street, searching for any sign of her. His heart pounded in his throat, his voice became more cracked and desperate every time he called her name. He didn't care if he woke up the whole street; he just had to find her.
"Emi, where are you?!"
A thought occurred to him, and he changed direction and headed east, towards the shoreline. Was her boat gone? If not, maybe she was still on the main island. But if it was...
Taro swallowed down the lump in his throat and ran faster, the panic starting to overwhelm him. Just the thought, the suggestion of someone he loved leaving the islands made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't begin to fathom such a thing happening. Not to Emi, not now...
He reached the shoreline, with its salt-smell and the sound of the crashing waves filling his ears. The black expanse of ocean suddenly seemed larger than ever before. The sand crunched under his feet and into his slippers as he continued to run. "Emi! EMI!"
"Taro?"
He nearly fell apart at the knees at the quiet sound of her voice. There she was...sitting just before the docks, close to the water's lapping edge. She was dressed in her robe as well, he brown hair waving in the ocean breeze. She smiled at him as if he'd just shown up late for a lunch meeting. "Taro!"
"Emi! What..." He ran up to her and stopped short, trying to think of the proper thing to say. Relief at discovering she was okay mixed with that lingering sense of panic. His hands were still shaking. "...What are you doing here?!"
Emi blinked, and slid over to face him. "Taro, I'm sorry! I just suddenly wanted to go out; I couldn't sleep, and I guess I just lost track of time."
"You scared me to death!"
Emi's face dropped into a worried frown. "Oh, honey...please, don't be scared. Look, I'm fine, and the baby's fine, okay?" She reached her hand up and tugged on his so that he'd sit next to her. "I'm sorry I worried you."
Taro collapsed onto the sand as soon as she tugged on his hand, and wrapped his arms around her, letting out a shuddering breath. Her body was warm, and her hair smelled like salt and shampoo and their bedsheets. She hesitated, more our of surprise than anything, and embraced him as well. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. Are you okay?"
"I-I thought that something had...had happened to you," he choked, hating feeling this vulnerable but refusing to let go of her. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go out? At four in the morning, no less!"
"I'm so sorry, Taro! I couldn't sleep, and I thought I'd be back before you got up." She looked genuinely sorry that she had scared him, and he believed her, but...it still felt like she wasn't telling him something.
Finally, he let go and sat down in the sand next to her. "What in the world made you want to come out here this early?"
Emi stared out at the ocean, dark and endless. It seemed less black now, and Taro felt the rhythm of the waves like a heartbeat in the sand. "I had some strange dreams. They..." She stopped. "Just felt like I wanted to be outside."
"Strange dreams?"
"Yeah." Emi didn't elaborate. She scooted a little closer and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "It's really beautiful out this morning, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Taro agreed...it was beautiful. He often didn't notice it. And he didn't notice it enough, but Emi...she was beautiful, too. He wanted the rest of the panic to fade away so he could just focus on the relief of her being here, being okay. There was a small part of him that was afraid...afraid of the thought of anyone he loved leaving and not coming back.
He'd heard stories about islanders that had done such things.
Emi entwined her fingers in his, and he squeezed back tightly. "I'm so sorry I scared you. I should have thought about that. I promise, I won't do it again, okay?" She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
That seemed to be enough for Taro, and he let out a sigh. Perhaps it was just the idea of impending fatherhood that was stressing him out more than usual. They did both have a lot on their minds. "Okay." He managed to smile, and took her hand so as to help her up. "I guess I overreacted."
She stood, and stretched. "No Taro, it was my fault. ...Oh no, I'm going to make you late for work, aren't I?" Emi's calm suddenly switched into worry for his sake. "Hurry, let's get back so you won't get in trouble!"
Taro had completely forgotten about work in his panic, but considering he had always been on time before, he wasn't too worried about it. "I'll be fine, Emi." He felt a little amused as to how she was suddenly the more anxious one, but he let her drag him along towards the town. Still both in their robes, they walked back home, with the panic finally subsiding and relief taking over completely.
And yet...Taro couldn't help but wonder what it was she could have been dreaming about.
Writer: lynxgriffin
Rating: No higher than G-PG for now
Spoilers: This takes place even before BBS, so there's some BBS spoilers
Characters/Pairings: Sora's dad/Sora's mom, with a side of Riku's dad/Riku's mom
Warnings: Pregnancy and/or childbirth in later chapters, plus adorable bitties. Also expect some Final Fantasy cameos.
Notes: Aaaand delving into a little more mystery stuff now...
Taro told himself not to worry about Jecht's words, and for a long time, he didn't. The initial excitement wore off as the weeks turned into one, two, three months. Emi got sick sometimes, but he was always there to help her feel better. And whenever he wasn't, Lana was often around to step in. Emi did what she could to stay healthy and in high spirits, and that in turn made Taro feel better. He and Hoku set to work on their off time setting up the upstairs spare room so that it could eventually become the baby's room. That meant several hours out of the week spent sanding, repairing and painting.
But then, as the weeks ticked on, Emi began to act...strangely.
It was hardly noticeable at first. Just brief pauses in their conversation, as if she'd stopped to think about something. A few moments where she spontaneously burst into tears. Days here and there where she'd skip a meal without thinking about it. Emi had always been shy about expressing how she felt, but Taro had always been able to read her. But now, it was getting harder and harder to guess what she was thinking. And that in turn worried Taro a little.
However, that nagging worry was nothing compared to what Taro experienced one early Tuesday morning.
As usual, he woke up an hour and a half before sunrise so that he could get to work on time. As routine dictated, he usually left his sleeping wife a kiss on the forehead, changed clothes, went downstairs for a cup of coffee and a quick muffin, then grabbed his gear and headed for the fishery. But this morning, when he woke up, Emi wasn't there.
Taro was confused at first...then figured she must have gotten up to see the restroom. He stretched, shuffled out of bed and walked over to the adjoining bathroom. "Emi, you in there?" he asked, knocking softly on the door.
There was no answer. He swung the door halfway open; the bathroom was empty. Taro frowned...Emi almost never got up as early as he did. And if she did, she stayed in bed.
Slipping on his house shoes, he padded over to the spare room down the hall. Maybe she'd suddenly gotten a late-night spark of inspiration on arranging the room? That had happened at odd times.
"Emi?"
But the spare room was empty, save for a pile of finished wood meant to eventually be constructed into a child's bed. The single window was closed.
Don't worry. She's somewhere in the house, Taro told himself, biting his lip. He walked downstairs, a bit quicker this time. The kitchen was dark, empty and soundless, except for the wall clock's ticking.
"Emi?"
No answer. He jogged to the living room, and it was just as dark and empty. No one in the dining room, or in the storage closet.
Taro felt something start to build up in the pit of his stomach...a knot, tightening, pulling on his heartstrings. He tried to squash it down, to tell himself it was okay, but the worry just bubbled back up. It was four in the morning, and Emi wasn't in the house.
Wearing little more than his robe and slippers, Taro rushed out of the house. Outside, the night was warm and humid, full of the sounds of crickets and nighttime birds. Emi was nowhere in the garden, or on the path. He looked across the street toward Hoku and Lana's house, but all of their lights were off. The whole street was dark and silent; asleep until morning.
"Emi!"
Panic. Taro had never felt it before, but he still recognized it. He didn't know how, or why, but Emi was gone, and his mind overflowed with a writhing mass of terrible thoughts. She was hurt, she was scared, someone had taken her, she'd vanished, she was gone and he'd never see the love of his life again...
He started to run, down the path and out into the street, searching for any sign of her. His heart pounded in his throat, his voice became more cracked and desperate every time he called her name. He didn't care if he woke up the whole street; he just had to find her.
"Emi, where are you?!"
A thought occurred to him, and he changed direction and headed east, towards the shoreline. Was her boat gone? If not, maybe she was still on the main island. But if it was...
Taro swallowed down the lump in his throat and ran faster, the panic starting to overwhelm him. Just the thought, the suggestion of someone he loved leaving the islands made him sick to his stomach. He couldn't begin to fathom such a thing happening. Not to Emi, not now...
He reached the shoreline, with its salt-smell and the sound of the crashing waves filling his ears. The black expanse of ocean suddenly seemed larger than ever before. The sand crunched under his feet and into his slippers as he continued to run. "Emi! EMI!"
"Taro?"
He nearly fell apart at the knees at the quiet sound of her voice. There she was...sitting just before the docks, close to the water's lapping edge. She was dressed in her robe as well, he brown hair waving in the ocean breeze. She smiled at him as if he'd just shown up late for a lunch meeting. "Taro!"
"Emi! What..." He ran up to her and stopped short, trying to think of the proper thing to say. Relief at discovering she was okay mixed with that lingering sense of panic. His hands were still shaking. "...What are you doing here?!"
Emi blinked, and slid over to face him. "Taro, I'm sorry! I just suddenly wanted to go out; I couldn't sleep, and I guess I just lost track of time."
"You scared me to death!"
Emi's face dropped into a worried frown. "Oh, honey...please, don't be scared. Look, I'm fine, and the baby's fine, okay?" She reached her hand up and tugged on his so that he'd sit next to her. "I'm sorry I worried you."
Taro collapsed onto the sand as soon as she tugged on his hand, and wrapped his arms around her, letting out a shuddering breath. Her body was warm, and her hair smelled like salt and shampoo and their bedsheets. She hesitated, more our of surprise than anything, and embraced him as well. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. Are you okay?"
"I-I thought that something had...had happened to you," he choked, hating feeling this vulnerable but refusing to let go of her. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted to go out? At four in the morning, no less!"
"I'm so sorry, Taro! I couldn't sleep, and I thought I'd be back before you got up." She looked genuinely sorry that she had scared him, and he believed her, but...it still felt like she wasn't telling him something.
Finally, he let go and sat down in the sand next to her. "What in the world made you want to come out here this early?"
Emi stared out at the ocean, dark and endless. It seemed less black now, and Taro felt the rhythm of the waves like a heartbeat in the sand. "I had some strange dreams. They..." She stopped. "Just felt like I wanted to be outside."
"Strange dreams?"
"Yeah." Emi didn't elaborate. She scooted a little closer and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder. "It's really beautiful out this morning, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Taro agreed...it was beautiful. He often didn't notice it. And he didn't notice it enough, but Emi...she was beautiful, too. He wanted the rest of the panic to fade away so he could just focus on the relief of her being here, being okay. There was a small part of him that was afraid...afraid of the thought of anyone he loved leaving and not coming back.
He'd heard stories about islanders that had done such things.
Emi entwined her fingers in his, and he squeezed back tightly. "I'm so sorry I scared you. I should have thought about that. I promise, I won't do it again, okay?" She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
That seemed to be enough for Taro, and he let out a sigh. Perhaps it was just the idea of impending fatherhood that was stressing him out more than usual. They did both have a lot on their minds. "Okay." He managed to smile, and took her hand so as to help her up. "I guess I overreacted."
She stood, and stretched. "No Taro, it was my fault. ...Oh no, I'm going to make you late for work, aren't I?" Emi's calm suddenly switched into worry for his sake. "Hurry, let's get back so you won't get in trouble!"
Taro had completely forgotten about work in his panic, but considering he had always been on time before, he wasn't too worried about it. "I'll be fine, Emi." He felt a little amused as to how she was suddenly the more anxious one, but he let her drag him along towards the town. Still both in their robes, they walked back home, with the panic finally subsiding and relief taking over completely.
And yet...Taro couldn't help but wonder what it was she could have been dreaming about.