[fic] With Earth and Glaze (Haruka4)
Title: With Earth and Glaze
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, and Ruby Party own them all.
Summary: It's Chihiro's birthday, and Kazahaya has prepared a special present for her.
Notes: Set before the start of gameplay when the three are still in the modern world. There's a tiny spoiler if you know what to look for (and tilt your head and squint).
With Earth and Glaze
Kazahaya had woken to the incessant beeping of his alarm with a disoriented feeling that had almost become normal. He sat up and pushed off the bedcovers, then stretched with a yawn. The second his feet hit the floor he shivered and almost crawled under the blanket again. Despite the rush most days to get ready for work, mornings in this world came with so much less stress than they had in...
A quick shake of his head dislodged the thought before it could finish. He had no time for memories that would make him stare blankly into the air for hours as his mind conjured up people and places he had not seen in years. Especially not today, he thought with a grin as he stood and got dressed.
"It's not every day that our princess turns a year older," Kazahaya murmured quietly as he picked out a tie and headed for the washroom. He never had managed to get the hang of putting on a necktie, and the closest he came was watching himself knot it in the mirror.
Unsurprisingly, Chihiro had already claimed the place in front of the looking glass. Her face contorted into a puzzled frown as she messed with her hair. From what Kazahaya could tell, she was trying to place a new hairpin into the braid that twined in circles around the hair she had already put up. As the dangling metallic flowers on the accessory made a faint tinkling noise Kazahaya remembered where he had seen the decoration before.
Just over a week ago he had finished his grading early and walked home with both Chihiro and Nagi. As they passed an accessory shop she had grasped onto the younger's sleeve and pointed it out, but Nagi only gave it a glance before he looked away disinterestedly. Chihiro had wheedled a little, citing her upcoming birthday and asking him to get it for her, but the boy had changed the subject to that night's dinner menu. If Kazahaya hadn't already had a gift in place for her he would have bought the hairpin just to make the sad look on her face go away, but he had only sighed softly then and urged their group on its way.
A triumphant sound brought Kazahaya's attention back to the present as he saw Chihiro admire the pin she had finally placed just so in her hair. Three strands of flowers made out of metal beads hung from the top of it at varying lengths. "It looks lovely," he complimented with a smile. Chihiro jumped before she turned around with a hand over her heart.
"Kazahaya, you startled me!" She exhaled deeply and smiled. "Good morning."
Kazahaya's mood brightened like the sun breaking through clouds. "Good morning, Chihiro, and happy birthday."
Her grin grew as she almost bounced in place. The happy energy that came from her infected Kazahaya as well and chased the last bit of sleep from his mind. "Thank you, Kazahaya!"
"It looks like Nagi caved and bought you that hairpin after all." Kazahaya's heart clenched as he gave voice to the realization, but he gave it a mental push and reminded himself that he had a different present for her.
The smile on Chihiro's lips dimmed a little as she raised a hand up to touch her hair lightly. "No, this was from one of my friends at school. She gave it to me yesterday so I could wear it today. Wasn't that nice of her?" He could hear her trying to be more upbeat than she felt at that moment, and figured she really wished the gift had come from Nagi.
Kazahaya nodded and patted her shoulder. "Yes. I'm glad your friends are so thoughtful." He wondered if Nagi had gotten her anything at all, but the blond usually did, even if he grumbled under his breath when he gave Chihiro her present.
"Would you like me to put that on for you?" Chihiro had plucked the necktie from his fingers before Kazahaya remembered that he had brought it with him in the first place. She examined his choice, a medium blue one with faint diagonal crisscross patterns in navy, then nodded and placed it around his neck. Rather than watch her hands as she knotted the tie, Kazahaya smiled softly at her intent expression. When Chihiro concentrated she sometimes had the adorable trait of nibbling on her lower lip, and she did it as she pulled the wide end of the fabric through a loop and tightened it. "There, all done." She looked pleased with herself, and Kazahaya had to force his hand not to pat her head in praise like it wanted to.
"Thank you, Chihiro." Kazahaya cleared his throat to get rid of the slight huskiness that had crept into his tone. "Nagi should be done making breakfast by now. You should eat before you head off to school." There were other things he wanted to say instead, like how she had grown more beautiful with every year that passed and how he was honored to live so closely together with her, but he kept those words to himself and played the guardian role she expected of him instead.
"Okay," she answered cheerfully, a slight bounce still in her step as she headed down the hall.
While she ate Kazahaya continued his morning routine. He returned to his room and caught sight of Chihiro's gift. It sat on his desk in plain view, but even if anyone had entered his room and seen it Kazahaya doubted they would guess its origin.
A sphere-shaped vase, wide enough around that both of his hands could only just barely circle it, held a couple of white rosebuds that he had picked up at a flower shop on his way home the night before. Kazahaya knew the flowers weren't the important part, but he did not think anyone would believe that he crafted the vase himself. The sphere tapered up into a thin neck as long as his pointer finger, and so could not hold many flowers, but that helped show off the careful way he had glazed it. The base was a deep golden yellow, and only someone who looked closely would see that the artist had faintly scored a ripe wheat field all around it. The neck above it changed gradually to a blue the color of the late summer sky.
Kazahaya ran a finger along the delicate rim of the vase where it curled down in a half-circle. He knew the real reason why he had chosen the colors and the design, why he had spent countless hours in the art room of the school where he taught. Through that time Kazahaya had lost count of how many times he sculpted the vase only to press it back into a shapeless lump and try again for something better. Looking at the finished result, he smiled gently at the fragile vase as if afraid a stronger look would shatter it into pieces.
Only he carried the memories of why the vase had to look as it did, but Kazahaya felt a sense of ease that way. His fingertips lingered on the ceramic wheat field before he picked it up carefully and headed to the kitchen.
Nagi had disappeared, presumably to gather his things for class, leaving Chihiro sitting at the table alone as she finished her orange juice. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him. "Kazahaya, is that..?"
He had to smile when her voice trailed off and she looked eager but held herself back lest she guess wrong. "This is for you. Once more, happy birthday, Chihiro." Steady hands placed the vase in front of her gently. The twin buds swayed slightly with the motion before Chihiro reached out and ran a fingertip over first one and then the other.
The smile she turned up to him was easily the most beautiful sight Kazahaya had seen in his life. "Thank you, Kazahaya. They're lovely!" Her eyes, the same hue as the mouth of the vase, looked at the flowers as if she had never received any before. He knew she would think the flowers her real present and overlook the vase for the time being, but that was for the best.
Kazahaya inhaled a slow, deep breath, then let the air leave in the same way. "All right then, off to school with you Birthday Girl." His smile came automatically when a look of panic crossed Chihiro's face. She had obviously forgotten completely about classes, and Kazahaya could not help but take that as a compliment.
Chihiro stood quickly and headed toward her room, but then turned just as suddenly and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Thank you, Kazahaya," she repeated softly, "it's lovely." She was gone through the doorway before he could process the change of pronoun and realize that she actually had noticed the vase.
Kazahaya chuckled softly and returned to his room for his briefcase and suitcoat. It seemed that the princess never would cease to amaze him.
Fandom: Harukanaru Toki no Naka de 4
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Mizuno-sensei, Koei, and Ruby Party own them all.
Summary: It's Chihiro's birthday, and Kazahaya has prepared a special present for her.
Notes: Set before the start of gameplay when the three are still in the modern world. There's a tiny spoiler if you know what to look for (and tilt your head and squint).
With Earth and Glaze
Kazahaya had woken to the incessant beeping of his alarm with a disoriented feeling that had almost become normal. He sat up and pushed off the bedcovers, then stretched with a yawn. The second his feet hit the floor he shivered and almost crawled under the blanket again. Despite the rush most days to get ready for work, mornings in this world came with so much less stress than they had in...
A quick shake of his head dislodged the thought before it could finish. He had no time for memories that would make him stare blankly into the air for hours as his mind conjured up people and places he had not seen in years. Especially not today, he thought with a grin as he stood and got dressed.
"It's not every day that our princess turns a year older," Kazahaya murmured quietly as he picked out a tie and headed for the washroom. He never had managed to get the hang of putting on a necktie, and the closest he came was watching himself knot it in the mirror.
Unsurprisingly, Chihiro had already claimed the place in front of the looking glass. Her face contorted into a puzzled frown as she messed with her hair. From what Kazahaya could tell, she was trying to place a new hairpin into the braid that twined in circles around the hair she had already put up. As the dangling metallic flowers on the accessory made a faint tinkling noise Kazahaya remembered where he had seen the decoration before.
Just over a week ago he had finished his grading early and walked home with both Chihiro and Nagi. As they passed an accessory shop she had grasped onto the younger's sleeve and pointed it out, but Nagi only gave it a glance before he looked away disinterestedly. Chihiro had wheedled a little, citing her upcoming birthday and asking him to get it for her, but the boy had changed the subject to that night's dinner menu. If Kazahaya hadn't already had a gift in place for her he would have bought the hairpin just to make the sad look on her face go away, but he had only sighed softly then and urged their group on its way.
A triumphant sound brought Kazahaya's attention back to the present as he saw Chihiro admire the pin she had finally placed just so in her hair. Three strands of flowers made out of metal beads hung from the top of it at varying lengths. "It looks lovely," he complimented with a smile. Chihiro jumped before she turned around with a hand over her heart.
"Kazahaya, you startled me!" She exhaled deeply and smiled. "Good morning."
Kazahaya's mood brightened like the sun breaking through clouds. "Good morning, Chihiro, and happy birthday."
Her grin grew as she almost bounced in place. The happy energy that came from her infected Kazahaya as well and chased the last bit of sleep from his mind. "Thank you, Kazahaya!"
"It looks like Nagi caved and bought you that hairpin after all." Kazahaya's heart clenched as he gave voice to the realization, but he gave it a mental push and reminded himself that he had a different present for her.
The smile on Chihiro's lips dimmed a little as she raised a hand up to touch her hair lightly. "No, this was from one of my friends at school. She gave it to me yesterday so I could wear it today. Wasn't that nice of her?" He could hear her trying to be more upbeat than she felt at that moment, and figured she really wished the gift had come from Nagi.
Kazahaya nodded and patted her shoulder. "Yes. I'm glad your friends are so thoughtful." He wondered if Nagi had gotten her anything at all, but the blond usually did, even if he grumbled under his breath when he gave Chihiro her present.
"Would you like me to put that on for you?" Chihiro had plucked the necktie from his fingers before Kazahaya remembered that he had brought it with him in the first place. She examined his choice, a medium blue one with faint diagonal crisscross patterns in navy, then nodded and placed it around his neck. Rather than watch her hands as she knotted the tie, Kazahaya smiled softly at her intent expression. When Chihiro concentrated she sometimes had the adorable trait of nibbling on her lower lip, and she did it as she pulled the wide end of the fabric through a loop and tightened it. "There, all done." She looked pleased with herself, and Kazahaya had to force his hand not to pat her head in praise like it wanted to.
"Thank you, Chihiro." Kazahaya cleared his throat to get rid of the slight huskiness that had crept into his tone. "Nagi should be done making breakfast by now. You should eat before you head off to school." There were other things he wanted to say instead, like how she had grown more beautiful with every year that passed and how he was honored to live so closely together with her, but he kept those words to himself and played the guardian role she expected of him instead.
"Okay," she answered cheerfully, a slight bounce still in her step as she headed down the hall.
While she ate Kazahaya continued his morning routine. He returned to his room and caught sight of Chihiro's gift. It sat on his desk in plain view, but even if anyone had entered his room and seen it Kazahaya doubted they would guess its origin.
A sphere-shaped vase, wide enough around that both of his hands could only just barely circle it, held a couple of white rosebuds that he had picked up at a flower shop on his way home the night before. Kazahaya knew the flowers weren't the important part, but he did not think anyone would believe that he crafted the vase himself. The sphere tapered up into a thin neck as long as his pointer finger, and so could not hold many flowers, but that helped show off the careful way he had glazed it. The base was a deep golden yellow, and only someone who looked closely would see that the artist had faintly scored a ripe wheat field all around it. The neck above it changed gradually to a blue the color of the late summer sky.
Kazahaya ran a finger along the delicate rim of the vase where it curled down in a half-circle. He knew the real reason why he had chosen the colors and the design, why he had spent countless hours in the art room of the school where he taught. Through that time Kazahaya had lost count of how many times he sculpted the vase only to press it back into a shapeless lump and try again for something better. Looking at the finished result, he smiled gently at the fragile vase as if afraid a stronger look would shatter it into pieces.
Only he carried the memories of why the vase had to look as it did, but Kazahaya felt a sense of ease that way. His fingertips lingered on the ceramic wheat field before he picked it up carefully and headed to the kitchen.
Nagi had disappeared, presumably to gather his things for class, leaving Chihiro sitting at the table alone as she finished her orange juice. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of him. "Kazahaya, is that..?"
He had to smile when her voice trailed off and she looked eager but held herself back lest she guess wrong. "This is for you. Once more, happy birthday, Chihiro." Steady hands placed the vase in front of her gently. The twin buds swayed slightly with the motion before Chihiro reached out and ran a fingertip over first one and then the other.
The smile she turned up to him was easily the most beautiful sight Kazahaya had seen in his life. "Thank you, Kazahaya. They're lovely!" Her eyes, the same hue as the mouth of the vase, looked at the flowers as if she had never received any before. He knew she would think the flowers her real present and overlook the vase for the time being, but that was for the best.
Kazahaya inhaled a slow, deep breath, then let the air leave in the same way. "All right then, off to school with you Birthday Girl." His smile came automatically when a look of panic crossed Chihiro's face. She had obviously forgotten completely about classes, and Kazahaya could not help but take that as a compliment.
Chihiro stood quickly and headed toward her room, but then turned just as suddenly and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. "Thank you, Kazahaya," she repeated softly, "it's lovely." She was gone through the doorway before he could process the change of pronoun and realize that she actually had noticed the vase.
Kazahaya chuckled softly and returned to his room for his briefcase and suitcoat. It seemed that the princess never would cease to amaze him.