PoT Ficlet (and other matters)
This was started before uni.
I finished it today.
...I think Traitor went on some bizarre vacation and came back with much too much funny plunnie thoughts. Anyway...
Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi owns PoT.
Rating: G
Notes: Gen, Tezuka-centric.
*
Number One
*
“Kunimitsu?”
“Out here, kaasan.”
Ayana leaned one hand against sliding door and smiled to see her son squatting outside by the koi pond in the garden. She stepped out of the house and followed the stone steps to where he was, taking up a spot beside him on his right.
“How’s Ichi doing?” she asked, her eyes following the movements of a particular red and black spotted Japanese koi, large in width and length, slowly making its lumbering way through the water as if he owned the place. Other fish brushed unperturbedly against him, matching his own nonchalance.
“He’s moving slower nowadays,” was the soft comment, also following Ichi’s slow swimming motions.
“He always moves at his own pace… but he is getting on in years, I suppose.” She smiled gently. “After all, you were only four when we bought him.”
Her son didn’t answer as Ichi came to a languid stop right in front of him. He seemed to be waiting for something and the youngest of the Tezuka family knew what it was. He reached out for a small tube, pulled off the cap and tapped it upside down a couple of times.
Red and green sprinkles floated onto the clear surface which Ichi gulped in like some sort of vacuum with fins. It was only a few seconds later that the other younger, sleeker koi came swarming in to try and grab a share. As if very used to this sort of thing, the larger older koi slowly got out of their way, heading for another quieter, less crowded spot in the pond.
Tezuka watched him swim away and nearly smirked at his old, nearly unchanging ways.
Two years after Ayana had given birth to a healthy baby boy when they moved in to the new home, the Tezuka family found their garden was lacking in something. They didn’t know what though and left it at that for the time being.
It wasn’t till the baby boy reached the age of four that the pond was dug, properly built and filled with water. His grandfather was the one who bought a few koi from a pet store and gently tipped the fish in.
“Oh they’re lovely, otousan…” remarked Ayana, watching the fish get acclimated to their new home.
Kunikazu nodded with a bit of satisfaction. “Koi are always good fish to keep. Brings a sense of balance.”
“Not to mention, it’ll add a bit of life to this garden… oh, Kunimitsu, be careful…”
Kunimitsu heeded his mother’s warning, leaning back a little from where he’d been watching the new inhabitants intently, following the quick swishes and flicks of the fish. It was fascinating, how quickly they cut through the water, neatly avoiding bumping into each other, unperturbed by anything…
And suddenly, one came to rest right in front of where he squatted. He blinked.
It was mostly black and red with only small splotches of white showing up now and again, as if someone had decided to go wild with waterproof paint. It was large, bigger than the others with a filmy tail that swayed a little with the current. And, Kunimitsu blinked again, it looked like it was staring at him. As if it was expecting something from him.
He stared back, not knowing until years later that fish had no eyelids and therefore couldn’t exactly be bested at in a staring competition. But for the moment, he maintained his ground.
Five minutes later, he conceded defeat. It was obvious that the fish had more experience at this.
It deserved something. A worm maybe.
The boy turned away from the pond and headed to where his mother and grandfather stood, conversing about more additions to the landscape.
“…kaasan.”
“In a minute, dear. I’m talking with ojiisan…”
He absorbed that piece of information and then walked back to the fishpond. The koi still remained in the same position, and still appeared to look right at him when he loomed over the surface again.
“Kaasan’s talking to ojiisan. Afterwards.” he intoned, in the most serious tones he could muster. The fish had to understand: Grown Ups Were Not To Be Disturbed When Talking. You had to wait.
Not surprisingly, the fish stared for another moment and then with a soft flick of the tail, swam away.
And Kunimitsu watched him go, inwardly approving of him.
It wasn’t until Kuniharu got home that Kunimitsu managed to get permission to feed the fish, with supervision. And he made sure that the large black and red one - “Ichi,” Kunimitsu had suddenly declared, “Because he won.” - got extra fish food.
*
“And you, Tezuka-kun? Do you have any pets?”
Five year old Tezuka looked up at his teacher. “A fish.”
“A fish is a good pet too. What’s his name?”
“Ichi.” He paused for a moment, before adding, “He’s very good at swimming. And staring.”
His kindergarten teacher had laughed, commented about Ichi’s natural swimming abilities and then moved onto the next student.
But she didn’t understand, Tezuka thoughtfully noted as he walked home hand in hand with his mother later. She thought Ichi swam just like all the other fish.
“Kaasan, may I?” he asked once they were behind the gate of the Tezuka home.
Ayana looked at him and smiled with a nod, taking his bag from his shoulders. They went to the back garden and she said, “Just be careful. I’ll have a snack ready for you when you come inside.”
“Hai, kaasan.”
And off he went, while an amused Ayana went to prepare a sandwich for her son. It was certainly a bit odd, but very cute, how he would go greet the fish in the pond every afternoon after school.
What she, her husband, her father-in-law and in fact no one else but Kunimitsu knew was that he didn’t go to just greet them. That would be silly. No, Kunimitsu had bigger plans.
He squatted by the pond and waited. It wasn’t long before good ol’ Ichi came along, stopping right where he was and stared up at the little boy. Kunimitsu stared back…
In an instant, he could hear the splash, the sight of the fish swimming all around him, and Ichi, twice his size staring at him in the face.
Without words, he allowed the boy to scramble onto his red and black splotched back. Kunimitsu marveled at the way the scales sparkled and gleamed in the sunlight reflected under the water's surface. He didn’t have a lot of time though since Ichi had already started moving, effortlessly slicing his way through the water. Kunimitsu’s hair streamed slowly behind him as he hung on, feeling the rush of currents past his ears.
Ichi swam and swam, swam right out into the deep waters where there was nothing but shades of greens and blues and tons of other fish, swimming hither and thither. Some translucent jellyfish swam by, followed by a lone sea turtle, old and grizzled. Dolphins splashed in and out, as if it were a game, clicking messages and amusedly grinning at the tiny duo of him and Ichi.
They went further still, the shadows of oil tankers and big ships covering them for a few minutes occasionally. Sharks, with teeth as sharp as razors, slunk past them, uninterested for the time being. They saw gigantic whales slowly making their way through the ocean deep. Octopus moved slowly over the sandy seabed, hiding in rock formations and corals. An eel poked its fierce head out for a bit before slinking back into its cave. More fish, of every shape, colour and size flitted in and out like the sea’s version of butterflies. Seaweed flowed with the under currents and so many more ocean dwellers kept busy with their own lives.
Kunimitsu saw it all and even though he’d seen it many times, he was still amazed by the sights and sounds of the ocean. Then he remembered. His mother was waiting.
“Let’s go home, Ichi.”
Quietly, the koi turned around and headed in a direction only he knew. Kunimitsu merely sat and watched the ocean quickly stream back into the enclosed pond, where algae and rocks and other koi were…
And back to where he squatted, dry as bone.
Quietly, he murmured a thank you and got to his feet.
“Tomorrow.”
And Ichi only stared, waiting until Kunimitsu walked out of sight before swimming away to find some food.
*
The adventures continued well after his sixth birthday.
But by the time he turned seven and a half, Kunimitsu soon found himself being taken into his grandfather’s charge. It was time he learned some thing of the art of judo since he was already in school.
After that, Tezuka never really went back to the koi pond, being too busy and Ichi didn’t really wonder why or how, merely swimming in his home, communing with his fellow fish.
But one thing was for sure: he never stopped to stare at Ayana or Kuniharu during feeding time.
“Don’t you have tennis practice, Kunimitsu?”
He took his eyes away from the pond. “I’ll leave in five minutes time.”
Ayana nodded. “Alright then. I’ll keep dinner warm for you.”
“Thank you, kaasan.”
She stood up smiling, and reentered the house. Tezuka turned back to where he’d been looking and found himself staring at Ichi.
He was much too big now. Much too big to go with Ichi to the open ocean and have adventures with his friend as he used to do. He would never fit on Ichi’s back. And his mind now was full of tennis courts and rackets, rather than the pictures and television programs about underwater life.
Some things had changed too much to turn back.
Tezuka looked at Ichi. Ichi looked at Tezuka.
Five minutes later, Tezuka stood up and smiled slightly.
Then again, some things still remained the same.
The young man headed up the stone steps, into the house to pick up his bag and head for practice. Behind him, in the cool waters of the koi pond, Ichi flicked his tail a little at an errant younger koi.
Even after eleven years, Kunimitsu could never beat Ichi at staring competitions.
End.
A/N: Okay, now I know what you're thinking - WTF ALL THAT FOR A FRIGGIN' FISH?! - and I swear it made sense when I thought about it about four months ago. I SWEAR IT _DID_. And it's not as if I write things that have much of a point anyway so...
In other unrelated news, I asked my dad earlier if I could practice tomorrow when he's free and he agreed. I can't help admitting that I'm rather nervous about the whole issue. I think it's the thought of my father in the passenger seat combined with the thought of driving. And we all know (ok, not all) how well I and driving got along during my lessons earlier this year. <<;;;;;
The last time, was about some time after I got my P license. I didn't even last a full five minutes without saying, "Okay no more I need to get out of the car and on solid ground now." And that was just driving round my housing estate. *smacks forehead*
I don't know why I'm so nervous. Bad experience + over worrying probably.
...okay, I'm better now, after letting all that out. *breathes out*
I finished it today.
...I think Traitor went on some bizarre vacation and came back with much too much funny plunnie thoughts. Anyway...
Disclaimer: Konomi Takeshi owns PoT.
Rating: G
Notes: Gen, Tezuka-centric.
*
Number One
*
“Kunimitsu?”
“Out here, kaasan.”
Ayana leaned one hand against sliding door and smiled to see her son squatting outside by the koi pond in the garden. She stepped out of the house and followed the stone steps to where he was, taking up a spot beside him on his right.
“How’s Ichi doing?” she asked, her eyes following the movements of a particular red and black spotted Japanese koi, large in width and length, slowly making its lumbering way through the water as if he owned the place. Other fish brushed unperturbedly against him, matching his own nonchalance.
“He’s moving slower nowadays,” was the soft comment, also following Ichi’s slow swimming motions.
“He always moves at his own pace… but he is getting on in years, I suppose.” She smiled gently. “After all, you were only four when we bought him.”
Her son didn’t answer as Ichi came to a languid stop right in front of him. He seemed to be waiting for something and the youngest of the Tezuka family knew what it was. He reached out for a small tube, pulled off the cap and tapped it upside down a couple of times.
Red and green sprinkles floated onto the clear surface which Ichi gulped in like some sort of vacuum with fins. It was only a few seconds later that the other younger, sleeker koi came swarming in to try and grab a share. As if very used to this sort of thing, the larger older koi slowly got out of their way, heading for another quieter, less crowded spot in the pond.
Tezuka watched him swim away and nearly smirked at his old, nearly unchanging ways.
Two years after Ayana had given birth to a healthy baby boy when they moved in to the new home, the Tezuka family found their garden was lacking in something. They didn’t know what though and left it at that for the time being.
It wasn’t till the baby boy reached the age of four that the pond was dug, properly built and filled with water. His grandfather was the one who bought a few koi from a pet store and gently tipped the fish in.
“Oh they’re lovely, otousan…” remarked Ayana, watching the fish get acclimated to their new home.
Kunikazu nodded with a bit of satisfaction. “Koi are always good fish to keep. Brings a sense of balance.”
“Not to mention, it’ll add a bit of life to this garden… oh, Kunimitsu, be careful…”
Kunimitsu heeded his mother’s warning, leaning back a little from where he’d been watching the new inhabitants intently, following the quick swishes and flicks of the fish. It was fascinating, how quickly they cut through the water, neatly avoiding bumping into each other, unperturbed by anything…
And suddenly, one came to rest right in front of where he squatted. He blinked.
It was mostly black and red with only small splotches of white showing up now and again, as if someone had decided to go wild with waterproof paint. It was large, bigger than the others with a filmy tail that swayed a little with the current. And, Kunimitsu blinked again, it looked like it was staring at him. As if it was expecting something from him.
He stared back, not knowing until years later that fish had no eyelids and therefore couldn’t exactly be bested at in a staring competition. But for the moment, he maintained his ground.
Five minutes later, he conceded defeat. It was obvious that the fish had more experience at this.
It deserved something. A worm maybe.
The boy turned away from the pond and headed to where his mother and grandfather stood, conversing about more additions to the landscape.
“…kaasan.”
“In a minute, dear. I’m talking with ojiisan…”
He absorbed that piece of information and then walked back to the fishpond. The koi still remained in the same position, and still appeared to look right at him when he loomed over the surface again.
“Kaasan’s talking to ojiisan. Afterwards.” he intoned, in the most serious tones he could muster. The fish had to understand: Grown Ups Were Not To Be Disturbed When Talking. You had to wait.
Not surprisingly, the fish stared for another moment and then with a soft flick of the tail, swam away.
And Kunimitsu watched him go, inwardly approving of him.
It wasn’t until Kuniharu got home that Kunimitsu managed to get permission to feed the fish, with supervision. And he made sure that the large black and red one - “Ichi,” Kunimitsu had suddenly declared, “Because he won.” - got extra fish food.
*
“And you, Tezuka-kun? Do you have any pets?”
Five year old Tezuka looked up at his teacher. “A fish.”
“A fish is a good pet too. What’s his name?”
“Ichi.” He paused for a moment, before adding, “He’s very good at swimming. And staring.”
His kindergarten teacher had laughed, commented about Ichi’s natural swimming abilities and then moved onto the next student.
But she didn’t understand, Tezuka thoughtfully noted as he walked home hand in hand with his mother later. She thought Ichi swam just like all the other fish.
“Kaasan, may I?” he asked once they were behind the gate of the Tezuka home.
Ayana looked at him and smiled with a nod, taking his bag from his shoulders. They went to the back garden and she said, “Just be careful. I’ll have a snack ready for you when you come inside.”
“Hai, kaasan.”
And off he went, while an amused Ayana went to prepare a sandwich for her son. It was certainly a bit odd, but very cute, how he would go greet the fish in the pond every afternoon after school.
What she, her husband, her father-in-law and in fact no one else but Kunimitsu knew was that he didn’t go to just greet them. That would be silly. No, Kunimitsu had bigger plans.
He squatted by the pond and waited. It wasn’t long before good ol’ Ichi came along, stopping right where he was and stared up at the little boy. Kunimitsu stared back…
In an instant, he could hear the splash, the sight of the fish swimming all around him, and Ichi, twice his size staring at him in the face.
Without words, he allowed the boy to scramble onto his red and black splotched back. Kunimitsu marveled at the way the scales sparkled and gleamed in the sunlight reflected under the water's surface. He didn’t have a lot of time though since Ichi had already started moving, effortlessly slicing his way through the water. Kunimitsu’s hair streamed slowly behind him as he hung on, feeling the rush of currents past his ears.
Ichi swam and swam, swam right out into the deep waters where there was nothing but shades of greens and blues and tons of other fish, swimming hither and thither. Some translucent jellyfish swam by, followed by a lone sea turtle, old and grizzled. Dolphins splashed in and out, as if it were a game, clicking messages and amusedly grinning at the tiny duo of him and Ichi.
They went further still, the shadows of oil tankers and big ships covering them for a few minutes occasionally. Sharks, with teeth as sharp as razors, slunk past them, uninterested for the time being. They saw gigantic whales slowly making their way through the ocean deep. Octopus moved slowly over the sandy seabed, hiding in rock formations and corals. An eel poked its fierce head out for a bit before slinking back into its cave. More fish, of every shape, colour and size flitted in and out like the sea’s version of butterflies. Seaweed flowed with the under currents and so many more ocean dwellers kept busy with their own lives.
Kunimitsu saw it all and even though he’d seen it many times, he was still amazed by the sights and sounds of the ocean. Then he remembered. His mother was waiting.
“Let’s go home, Ichi.”
Quietly, the koi turned around and headed in a direction only he knew. Kunimitsu merely sat and watched the ocean quickly stream back into the enclosed pond, where algae and rocks and other koi were…
And back to where he squatted, dry as bone.
Quietly, he murmured a thank you and got to his feet.
“Tomorrow.”
And Ichi only stared, waiting until Kunimitsu walked out of sight before swimming away to find some food.
*
The adventures continued well after his sixth birthday.
But by the time he turned seven and a half, Kunimitsu soon found himself being taken into his grandfather’s charge. It was time he learned some thing of the art of judo since he was already in school.
After that, Tezuka never really went back to the koi pond, being too busy and Ichi didn’t really wonder why or how, merely swimming in his home, communing with his fellow fish.
But one thing was for sure: he never stopped to stare at Ayana or Kuniharu during feeding time.
“Don’t you have tennis practice, Kunimitsu?”
He took his eyes away from the pond. “I’ll leave in five minutes time.”
Ayana nodded. “Alright then. I’ll keep dinner warm for you.”
“Thank you, kaasan.”
She stood up smiling, and reentered the house. Tezuka turned back to where he’d been looking and found himself staring at Ichi.
He was much too big now. Much too big to go with Ichi to the open ocean and have adventures with his friend as he used to do. He would never fit on Ichi’s back. And his mind now was full of tennis courts and rackets, rather than the pictures and television programs about underwater life.
Some things had changed too much to turn back.
Tezuka looked at Ichi. Ichi looked at Tezuka.
Five minutes later, Tezuka stood up and smiled slightly.
Then again, some things still remained the same.
The young man headed up the stone steps, into the house to pick up his bag and head for practice. Behind him, in the cool waters of the koi pond, Ichi flicked his tail a little at an errant younger koi.
Even after eleven years, Kunimitsu could never beat Ichi at staring competitions.
End.
A/N: Okay, now I know what you're thinking - WTF ALL THAT FOR A FRIGGIN' FISH?! - and I swear it made sense when I thought about it about four months ago. I SWEAR IT _DID_. And it's not as if I write things that have much of a point anyway so...
In other unrelated news, I asked my dad earlier if I could practice tomorrow when he's free and he agreed. I can't help admitting that I'm rather nervous about the whole issue. I think it's the thought of my father in the passenger seat combined with the thought of driving. And we all know (ok, not all) how well I and driving got along during my lessons earlier this year. <<;;;;;
The last time, was about some time after I got my P license. I didn't even last a full five minutes without saying, "Okay no more I need to get out of the car and on solid ground now." And that was just driving round my housing estate. *smacks forehead*
I don't know why I'm so nervous. Bad experience + over worrying probably.
...okay, I'm better now, after letting all that out. *breathes out*