Chapter seven of DI fic
Title: Islands Like Glass Towers - Chapter Seven
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: More goodness on the kids' island!
The weeks rolled on into the fifth month since Taro and Emi had stayed at the South Cliff Hotel, and Taro and Hoku had taken time out of their busy schedules to visit the kids' island. Not to play on, of course...but instead to do a bit of construction. True to his word, Hoku had saved some spare lumber and brought it over to the kids' island to build a bridge. Specifically, the two of them were working on a bridge from the seaside shack out to the tiny island where a paopu tree grew. Kids could wade out and use a ladder to climb up there now, but Hoku liked the idea of providing a path there that didn't get the kids completely wet.
With the primary supports laid out (two extremely long boards, which had been a pain to take out), all that was left to do was nail in the walking planks, which was easier but tedious. Toiling under the summer sun was exhausting, and by noon the two men were both covered in sweat.
"Hey, Taro...how 'bout we do a quick lunch break, huh? Think you can snag us some coconuts?" Hoku asked, wiping his brow.
Taro grinned. "Yeah, sure, hold on."
Taro may not have had the strength or athletic prowess that Hoku and Jecht possessed, but at least he was adept at climbing trees. He located the nearest coconut tree, scaled up the trunk (had these trees always seemed this flimsy?) yanked two coconuts free and tossed them to the ground. Once safely landed, he picked them up and threw them again, this time to Hoku. The silver-haired carpenter caught one and barely caught the other.
"Nice catch," Taro teased.
"Yeah, sure, leave the hard work to me," Hoku replied. He set to work cracking open the outer green shell of the coconuts.
Taro returned, and sat down on the portion of the bridge they had finished so far. It felt pretty sturdy. "Sure hope your son appreciates all this."
"Yours better like it too!" Hoku's last word came out as a grunt as he cracked open the green shells. "By the way, have you thought about what you're gonna name the baby?"
"Well..." He and Emi had discussed it, a little bit. But they couldn't seem to decide on a name. "I think maybe we're waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl."
"You should probably think up a few ideas before then!" Hoku said. "Otherwise, you're gonna draw a total blank when the baby's born, and man is that ever embarrassing!"
"Oh? And how'd you two decide on 'Riku'?"
Hoku fished for some spare nails, and pretended to be concentrating real hard on driving it into the coconut. "Welllll, Lana suggested it when I drew a blank and couldn't think of anything."
Taro couldn't help but chuckle at that. A moment of silence drifted between them as Hoku hammered a nail into one coconut, attempting to split it in half. Taro figured he and Emi should discuss a name for the baby again, and yet...
"Emi always seems...to be out these days," Taro said, not so much telling Hoku as he was just saying it to let it out. "It's a little strange. I always thought that being pregnant would make her a little more reclusive, you know? But now, it seems like she's always...going somewhere, or seeing someone." His brow furrowed. "I don't even remember her going out this much in high school."
"She's just visiting friends, isn't she?" Hoku asked. He managed to crack open the first coconut, and handed it off to Taro before starting on his own. "You know her and Lana. Can't keep 'em apart!"
Taro pulled open the coconut, revealing two halves half-full of white flesh and clearish milk. It smelled exceptionally good. "I don't mind her going to see friends. I'm glad she's having fun. I just...can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something." Hoku stopped his hammering to glance up at him. "I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it."
Hoku looked a little more concerned. "What? You mean like she's hurt or something? Why would she hide that?"
"No no, I don't think she's hurt." Taro hesitated, and used the pause to take a sip out of half of his coconut. "I guess...I just worry that maybe she's not happy. I thought we should have a baby because it's what we both really wanted. But what if she's not as happy as I thought she would be? I feel like it's harder for me to tell now."
Hoku finally forced his own coconut open, and took the opportunity to take a drink. "If you're not sure, you could just ask her."
While it seemed like the obvious answer, Taro was hesitant to do so. Because what if she said she wasn't happy? There wouldn't be anything they could do about it now, and Taro would have to live with that. He remained silent for a moment, causing his friend a bit of concern. "Hey...don't worry about it, okay? She's doing stuff with her friends, I'm sure she's fine. If she wasn't, she'd probably tell Lana at the very least. And Lana's had nothing but good things to say about Emi."
That eased Taro's worries a little...at least on the front that she might be unhappy. But why couldn't he shake the feeling of her hiding something from him? "I guess 'cause this is all new territory for us. I wasn't expecting to be this...scared about it." It was a difficult thing to admit.
"Yeah, I know," Hoku said in a manner that suggested he agreed, but also didn't want to admit it. That was enough for Taro, for now.
The two men looked up from their lunch break at the sound of laughter and shouting. A couple of the kids had come back from the other side of the island to spar and play ball. Taro couldn't help but smile. It was nice to be reminded of why they were suffering through this worry...to see their child have grand adventures on the beach, to have friends, to have long summers and happy memories. To make this small world a little bit bigger.
"Can't wait to bring Riku out here," Hoku said in a slightly quieter tone. He always seemed to embarrass himself when he started talking about his son. "I hope he likes it here."
Taro turned back to his friend. "With the way you're already spoiling him, I imagine he will!"
Hoku grinned, and took another sip out of his coconut. "Lana says he's learning so much already...like he just wants to see and hear everything. A little explorer!" He gazed out towards the horizon. "When he's old enough I should tell him that story my dad told me. I think he'd like that sorta thing...I did. You remember that one? About the kid who flew off to explore other worlds?"
Taro did remember, and it showed on his face. He focused his attention on the coconut, as if trying not to think about something. "Yeah, my mother told me that one, too."
Unlike Hoku, thought, Taro didn't like it as much. He'd been fascinated as a kid, but as he grew up, it just ended up frightening him. It was before his time...when his parents were young children. A young, well-educated man of the Islands had gotten restless, and promised to leave and explore other worlds. And then one night, he did leave...and never returned. No trace of him left, and no clue as to how he got away. Just vanished, as if he'd never existed in the first place.
Taro wanted to be excited about such a prospect, but all he could think about was the young man's parents...losing their son without even a chance to say goodbye. Or the other children, told that they were too boring; too meaningless to bother with. All he could think about was if that young man had been his father, or his son, and never seeing him again...
"You really want to tell him that story?" he asked.
"Oh right, I forgot, you don't like that one," Hoku said, and paused to take a bite out of the now-empty coconut. "I always thought it was a neat mystery. How anyone could get off the Islands without some kinda outside help!"
"It's not like he came back to tell anyone how," Taro pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah." Another bite, and Hoku stopped to stretch. "Come on, lighten up, it's not like that'll ever happen again. That's what makes it interesting."
At least Hoku didn't mind such an idea. Taro sighed, and shrugged. "I'm sure Riku'll love any story you tell him."
One of the kids on the other side of the beach yelled out, drawing the two mens' attention. They were still in the midst of an intense ball game. Taro smiled at them again. He told himself, as best he could, to listen to Hoku...not worry about distant stories of people vanishing, and not worry about Emi. It was just stress from all these new things they had to deal with; anxieties that accompanied any pregnancy. It had to be.
"Come on Taro, let's get this bridge finished already."
The kids' voices stayed with him as Taro finished off his coconuts, found his hammer and set back to work.
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: More goodness on the kids' island!
The weeks rolled on into the fifth month since Taro and Emi had stayed at the South Cliff Hotel, and Taro and Hoku had taken time out of their busy schedules to visit the kids' island. Not to play on, of course...but instead to do a bit of construction. True to his word, Hoku had saved some spare lumber and brought it over to the kids' island to build a bridge. Specifically, the two of them were working on a bridge from the seaside shack out to the tiny island where a paopu tree grew. Kids could wade out and use a ladder to climb up there now, but Hoku liked the idea of providing a path there that didn't get the kids completely wet.
With the primary supports laid out (two extremely long boards, which had been a pain to take out), all that was left to do was nail in the walking planks, which was easier but tedious. Toiling under the summer sun was exhausting, and by noon the two men were both covered in sweat.
"Hey, Taro...how 'bout we do a quick lunch break, huh? Think you can snag us some coconuts?" Hoku asked, wiping his brow.
Taro grinned. "Yeah, sure, hold on."
Taro may not have had the strength or athletic prowess that Hoku and Jecht possessed, but at least he was adept at climbing trees. He located the nearest coconut tree, scaled up the trunk (had these trees always seemed this flimsy?) yanked two coconuts free and tossed them to the ground. Once safely landed, he picked them up and threw them again, this time to Hoku. The silver-haired carpenter caught one and barely caught the other.
"Nice catch," Taro teased.
"Yeah, sure, leave the hard work to me," Hoku replied. He set to work cracking open the outer green shell of the coconuts.
Taro returned, and sat down on the portion of the bridge they had finished so far. It felt pretty sturdy. "Sure hope your son appreciates all this."
"Yours better like it too!" Hoku's last word came out as a grunt as he cracked open the green shells. "By the way, have you thought about what you're gonna name the baby?"
"Well..." He and Emi had discussed it, a little bit. But they couldn't seem to decide on a name. "I think maybe we're waiting to see if it's a boy or a girl."
"You should probably think up a few ideas before then!" Hoku said. "Otherwise, you're gonna draw a total blank when the baby's born, and man is that ever embarrassing!"
"Oh? And how'd you two decide on 'Riku'?"
Hoku fished for some spare nails, and pretended to be concentrating real hard on driving it into the coconut. "Welllll, Lana suggested it when I drew a blank and couldn't think of anything."
Taro couldn't help but chuckle at that. A moment of silence drifted between them as Hoku hammered a nail into one coconut, attempting to split it in half. Taro figured he and Emi should discuss a name for the baby again, and yet...
"Emi always seems...to be out these days," Taro said, not so much telling Hoku as he was just saying it to let it out. "It's a little strange. I always thought that being pregnant would make her a little more reclusive, you know? But now, it seems like she's always...going somewhere, or seeing someone." His brow furrowed. "I don't even remember her going out this much in high school."
"She's just visiting friends, isn't she?" Hoku asked. He managed to crack open the first coconut, and handed it off to Taro before starting on his own. "You know her and Lana. Can't keep 'em apart!"
Taro pulled open the coconut, revealing two halves half-full of white flesh and clearish milk. It smelled exceptionally good. "I don't mind her going to see friends. I'm glad she's having fun. I just...can't shake the feeling that she's hiding something." Hoku stopped his hammering to glance up at him. "I don't know. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it."
Hoku looked a little more concerned. "What? You mean like she's hurt or something? Why would she hide that?"
"No no, I don't think she's hurt." Taro hesitated, and used the pause to take a sip out of half of his coconut. "I guess...I just worry that maybe she's not happy. I thought we should have a baby because it's what we both really wanted. But what if she's not as happy as I thought she would be? I feel like it's harder for me to tell now."
Hoku finally forced his own coconut open, and took the opportunity to take a drink. "If you're not sure, you could just ask her."
While it seemed like the obvious answer, Taro was hesitant to do so. Because what if she said she wasn't happy? There wouldn't be anything they could do about it now, and Taro would have to live with that. He remained silent for a moment, causing his friend a bit of concern. "Hey...don't worry about it, okay? She's doing stuff with her friends, I'm sure she's fine. If she wasn't, she'd probably tell Lana at the very least. And Lana's had nothing but good things to say about Emi."
That eased Taro's worries a little...at least on the front that she might be unhappy. But why couldn't he shake the feeling of her hiding something from him? "I guess 'cause this is all new territory for us. I wasn't expecting to be this...scared about it." It was a difficult thing to admit.
"Yeah, I know," Hoku said in a manner that suggested he agreed, but also didn't want to admit it. That was enough for Taro, for now.
The two men looked up from their lunch break at the sound of laughter and shouting. A couple of the kids had come back from the other side of the island to spar and play ball. Taro couldn't help but smile. It was nice to be reminded of why they were suffering through this worry...to see their child have grand adventures on the beach, to have friends, to have long summers and happy memories. To make this small world a little bit bigger.
"Can't wait to bring Riku out here," Hoku said in a slightly quieter tone. He always seemed to embarrass himself when he started talking about his son. "I hope he likes it here."
Taro turned back to his friend. "With the way you're already spoiling him, I imagine he will!"
Hoku grinned, and took another sip out of his coconut. "Lana says he's learning so much already...like he just wants to see and hear everything. A little explorer!" He gazed out towards the horizon. "When he's old enough I should tell him that story my dad told me. I think he'd like that sorta thing...I did. You remember that one? About the kid who flew off to explore other worlds?"
Taro did remember, and it showed on his face. He focused his attention on the coconut, as if trying not to think about something. "Yeah, my mother told me that one, too."
Unlike Hoku, thought, Taro didn't like it as much. He'd been fascinated as a kid, but as he grew up, it just ended up frightening him. It was before his time...when his parents were young children. A young, well-educated man of the Islands had gotten restless, and promised to leave and explore other worlds. And then one night, he did leave...and never returned. No trace of him left, and no clue as to how he got away. Just vanished, as if he'd never existed in the first place.
Taro wanted to be excited about such a prospect, but all he could think about was the young man's parents...losing their son without even a chance to say goodbye. Or the other children, told that they were too boring; too meaningless to bother with. All he could think about was if that young man had been his father, or his son, and never seeing him again...
"You really want to tell him that story?" he asked.
"Oh right, I forgot, you don't like that one," Hoku said, and paused to take a bite out of the now-empty coconut. "I always thought it was a neat mystery. How anyone could get off the Islands without some kinda outside help!"
"It's not like he came back to tell anyone how," Taro pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah." Another bite, and Hoku stopped to stretch. "Come on, lighten up, it's not like that'll ever happen again. That's what makes it interesting."
At least Hoku didn't mind such an idea. Taro sighed, and shrugged. "I'm sure Riku'll love any story you tell him."
One of the kids on the other side of the beach yelled out, drawing the two mens' attention. They were still in the midst of an intense ball game. Taro smiled at them again. He told himself, as best he could, to listen to Hoku...not worry about distant stories of people vanishing, and not worry about Emi. It was just stress from all these new things they had to deal with; anxieties that accompanied any pregnancy. It had to be.
"Come on Taro, let's get this bridge finished already."
The kids' voices stayed with him as Taro finished off his coconuts, found his hammer and set back to work.