Kismet (Everything and More): Prologue
Title: Kismet (Everything and More)
Summary: Shida and Kamiki met by chance at an orphanage, sharing a love for stars. Soon the both of them were adopted and go their separate ways, only to meet again in high school. Will the love they shared for stars become a love that the two of them will share. Join them and the people around them in their quest to find love and dreams and happiness.
There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.
Shouting matches, wounds and bruises. Blue, purple, yellow, green, a morbid rainbow splayed patterns across their skins and painting a miserable portrait in their hearts.
Nights without dinners and school events with absent parents in attendance.
Tears and hurt and pain and sadness. Emotions kids their age shouldn't be feeling. When they should be playing outside, they try to avoid the flying objects thrown around at moments of utter rage. When they should be happily listening to happy children's songs, they cover their ears against the angry voices of their parents.
They try to hold it in, but once in a while emotions would seep through the cracks. They were still children, after all.
She sniffles as the drunken voice of their father reverberated through their house. Soon their shouts would echo around the house again. It would be another sad, sleepless night. Suddenly, even the omurice that her older brother tried so hard to cook lost its appeal. She couldn't stomach another bite.
She puts down her spoon and slowly puts her hands together. "Gochiso-sama deshita..."
He looks up at his younger sister's voice, noticing her barely eaten meal. He pats her on the head. "Doushitano, Mirai-chan? Was Nii-chan's cooking bad?"
She immediately shakes her head and musters a weak smile. "Kazu nii-chan's omurice is the best in the world! But... I'm scared..."
He smiles, softly and sadly. He gets up and hugs his sister tightly. "Don't worry... Nii-chan will protect you... I'll make the bad things go away... Nii-chan will always be here for you, ne?"
She nods, believing him. Because she loves her nii-chan. And her nii-chan will never lie.
They try to hold it in, but once in a while emotions can get the best of them. But they had each other, so it was still fine in the end.
As long as they were together, it will be okay by the end of the day. As long as they can be together, everything may be fine in the end.
That was what they thought.
Until the court summons came.
"I'm getting a divorce!"
"Hah! Do whatever you want! I don't care; it'll be a relief getting rid of an old hag like you!"
"I should be saying those things! And I'm taking the children with me!
"What nonsense are you saying?! Do you even have the capacity of feeding them? Of giving them the education they need? You don't even have a job!"
"We'll manage somehow... and it's better than spending another day at hell with you!"
"Chotto matte! Who said I agreed? No way in hell will you get my son and daughter from me! Who will succeed me in my business then?"
"Oh, and now you actually CARE?! If I remember correctly, you were beating up your children the last time you saw them! And now you're trying to be a parent?!"
The argument went on and on. The government people tried to distract them with gentle words and pretty toys, but the siblings refused to talk. Mirai simply held on to her brother for dear life, a lifeline to reality amidst all the craziness that is their life. They refused to be parted, releasing each other for moments of necessity and hygiene. But the sibling that has to be left behind will stand right outside the door, afraid that the other will not come out anymore. They held on to each other through everything, silently promising never to let go.
They held on even in court.
Until the final decision was passed.
Before then, they were strong. Until that final pound of the gavel, everything was still full of hope.
Until the court order was passed.
Their parents were divorced.
Their parents fought over child custody.
Their mother wanted to get both Kazunari and Mirai.
Their father insisted that he had to get Kazunari at all costs.
Their parents both won, in a way.
Their parents won... but the siblings lost, possibly one of the greatest battles silently fought.
Their mother got Mirai.
Their father got Kazunari.
By law, they were no longer siblings. Their mother regained her maiden name, and in turn got Mirai's surname changed as well. Their father was smug, ensuring that he will always have his heir. They cried and punched and threw horrible tantrums, but their childish attempts cannot overturn adult decisions.
"Let me go! Mirai-chan, listen to me carefully ne? No matter what everyone says, I'll always be your nii-chan ne?" he said, trying to stop crying long enough to say these few precious words.
She could only nod, screaming and crying for her brother as they began to take him away from her, their entwined hands slowly sliding apart.
Mirai was never truly happy after that. She really loved her mother, but her Kazu nii-chan and his omurice was something that has become second nature. She tried to cook it the same way, so that somehow, she could feel that he was close. Her mother loved her cooking and always praised it, saying that she was glad she can eat it after a hard day at work.
But hard work was never suited for her mother's weak body. The omurice she cooked was eaten less as the days passed, and she took to cooking porridge and gruel.
But even that was left untouched as well.
Until the day came that no one was left to eat anything that she cooked anymore.
It was the last day of the funeral. She has been straight-faced throughout. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come out no matter what she was feeling inside.
And then they came.
"Mirai-chan?"
Her heart stopped. She would know that voice anywhere.
"Kazu nii-chan!" she exclaimed, running towards her brother. The siblings hugged each other, trying to pour into that one gesture all the the pain of separation, the joy of reconciliation, and their love for each other. Soon their embrace had to be broken, and Kazunari smiled at his sister fondly.
"Let's go home?" he said. Her eyes brightened and she nodded, but she was soon distracted by the whispers around her.
It was then she noticed that her father was waiting just outside the temple. Next to him, a tall and beautiful woman wearing a skimpy dress was smoking a cigarette. She giggled and waved flirtatiously at the two children, and Mirai instinctively hid behind her brother.
"Kazu nii-chan... who is that person with Otou-san? Why is she with him?"
He looked at their father's direction, and she noticed how his soft gaze steeled and hardened. He put his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry about her. Nii-chan is here to protect you. This time, I'll make sure of my promise... I'll make the bad things go away...
...if they don't want to go, we'll defeat the bad things. Together. Ne?"
A week after the burial, an unmarked letter was sent to Mirai and Kazunari. It was dated a few days before the court summons came to their house. It was full of tear stains, making it hard to read. But the feelings that came with the letter were clear enough.
It was from their mother.
To Kazunari-kun and Mirai-chan...
If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think but the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.
Gomen ne.
Aishiteru.
Okaa-san
They went back to their house. The beatings lessened and altogether disappeared.
But then they experienced something altogether worse.
Their father and his new wife were always out of the house. There was always a new movie showing in the theaters, a limited edition of a bag or a pair of shoes or some other ridiculously expensive stuff that she wanted to buy. Their father, blinded by young love, bought everything that she wanted.
Blinded by young love, he forgot that there was still someone else that yearned for his love.
The maid that their father hired for his new wife tried to make sure that Mirai and Kazunari eat at least three times a day, but her mistress finds it more important to order her around on useless errands than to make sure that the children eat and go to school. Ultimately, the poor woman was fired.
Thinking that the money given to her was for the childrens' school fees, she gave the envelope entrusted to her to Kazunari. The children then paid for their school trip, happy that their father finally fulfilled their request.
Only to find out when they got home that the money was supposed to be used for buying a new gown for the party that the new mistress was about to go to. She was shouting at the top of her lungs, calling the poor maid all sorts of hideous names while her husband tried to calm her down. Mirai started crying when she heard all the raised voices and saw the only person who actually cared for them being maltreated for something she didn't mean to do. It was a cruel, cruel sight.
Soon the house calmed down. The maid was sent away, the mistress was pacified with promises of a new gown, and the children were beaten as punishment and locked in their rooms without dinner.
Mirai never liked it when people fight and shout. But Kazu nii-chan can make the loud voices go away. He brought out two small cans of tuna from his backpack and gave one to her.
"Sensei gave this to everyone in our class... gomen ne? This is all we have for dinner for tonight..."
Kazunari sighed as he watched his sister eat without complaints. After eating their makeshift dinner they curled up together on the big, cold bed. He hummed a nameless melody as he stroked her hair to sleep, watching as her eyelids slowly drooped and closed. Her tense protective stance loosened, making her less of the adult she was trying so hard to become and more of the child that she ought to be.
In his dreams, he promised that he'll find a way to get the two of them out of this mess.
"Ne darling, don't you have any relatives that could adopt those two brats?"
"Eh? Do they bother you, Yuu-chan?"
"They're always so noisy and they're always crying! Well, the girl does, anyway... And that boy doesn't like me! Can't you just give them away?"
"But I can't give away my heir! I need to train Kazu-kun for the business; he's entering high school soon, and he needs to know the inner workings of the company..."
She lowered her voice seductively and placed her finger on her chin.
"Shall we make your new heir, then?"
Mirai never liked it when people fight and shout, so it was a relief when the long-awaited school trip finally came. They woke up early and prepared their own lunches. When it was time for them to go their father and the new mistress went down to send them off.
"Ittekimasu~" the two kids said. The two of them went on their way, firmly holding hands.
It should have been a clue that the last word they heard from them was not "Itterashai"...
It was "Sayonara."
The trip ended early, so by late afternoon they were already on their way back. Their old neighbor was rummaging through some stuff piled at the front of their gate.
"Obaa-san? What are you looking for?" Kazunari politely asked. The old lady looked up with a shocked look on her face when she saw the children.
"Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?" she asked, obviously not expecting them.
"We just went home from our field trip! Look, Kazu nii-chan bought me a good luck charm! And isn't the key chain pretty~? I really like stars~" said Mirai excitedly, not noticing how cold her brother's hand in her grip was becoming.
"But... your father and his new wife left earlier... they said...
...they said they were leaving... and that they weren't coming back..."
With those words, the siblings went quiet, Mirai stopping her idle chatter. They slowly went inside their house. The gate and the front door were left open, the adults that left not even bothering to close and lock properly. They climbed up the stairs and went into their room.
The big, cold bed was still there. Their clothes and what little toys they had were still there. It looked just how they left it that morning.
But the rest of the house was bare. Furniture, that annoying pet poodle that the new mistress insisted to keep, all the designer clothes and bottles of wine and perfume and their late mother's piano.
Everything was gone.
Their old neighbor followed them inside, quietly shaking her head.
"You don't have any relatives left, right? Poor children... how could anyone do this to their own flesh and blood... I would love to take you in, but I cannot impose on my son's family anymore... I'll call an orphanage of someone I know... I'm sorry that you have to go through this... Gomen ne, Nino-kun, Shida-chan..."
Mirai started quietly sobbing, and Kazunari quietly pulled his sister close. As the old lady helped them pack up their possessions and lead them away from that house that was never a home, the siblings let out sighs that they didn't knew they held...
They were alone.
But they were together.
They were orphans.
But they were free.
*wipes brow* Finally got the chance to post this! Chapter One should be coming up soon :)
Summary: Shida and Kamiki met by chance at an orphanage, sharing a love for stars. Soon the both of them were adopted and go their separate ways, only to meet again in high school. Will the love they shared for stars become a love that the two of them will share. Join them and the people around them in their quest to find love and dreams and happiness.
There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant, are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go.
Shouting matches, wounds and bruises. Blue, purple, yellow, green, a morbid rainbow splayed patterns across their skins and painting a miserable portrait in their hearts.
Nights without dinners and school events with absent parents in attendance.
Tears and hurt and pain and sadness. Emotions kids their age shouldn't be feeling. When they should be playing outside, they try to avoid the flying objects thrown around at moments of utter rage. When they should be happily listening to happy children's songs, they cover their ears against the angry voices of their parents.
They try to hold it in, but once in a while emotions would seep through the cracks. They were still children, after all.
She sniffles as the drunken voice of their father reverberated through their house. Soon their shouts would echo around the house again. It would be another sad, sleepless night. Suddenly, even the omurice that her older brother tried so hard to cook lost its appeal. She couldn't stomach another bite.
She puts down her spoon and slowly puts her hands together. "Gochiso-sama deshita..."
He looks up at his younger sister's voice, noticing her barely eaten meal. He pats her on the head. "Doushitano, Mirai-chan? Was Nii-chan's cooking bad?"
She immediately shakes her head and musters a weak smile. "Kazu nii-chan's omurice is the best in the world! But... I'm scared..."
He smiles, softly and sadly. He gets up and hugs his sister tightly. "Don't worry... Nii-chan will protect you... I'll make the bad things go away... Nii-chan will always be here for you, ne?"
She nods, believing him. Because she loves her nii-chan. And her nii-chan will never lie.
They try to hold it in, but once in a while emotions can get the best of them. But they had each other, so it was still fine in the end.
As long as they were together, it will be okay by the end of the day. As long as they can be together, everything may be fine in the end.
That was what they thought.
Until the court summons came.
"I'm getting a divorce!"
"Hah! Do whatever you want! I don't care; it'll be a relief getting rid of an old hag like you!"
"I should be saying those things! And I'm taking the children with me!
"What nonsense are you saying?! Do you even have the capacity of feeding them? Of giving them the education they need? You don't even have a job!"
"We'll manage somehow... and it's better than spending another day at hell with you!"
"Chotto matte! Who said I agreed? No way in hell will you get my son and daughter from me! Who will succeed me in my business then?"
"Oh, and now you actually CARE?! If I remember correctly, you were beating up your children the last time you saw them! And now you're trying to be a parent?!"
The argument went on and on. The government people tried to distract them with gentle words and pretty toys, but the siblings refused to talk. Mirai simply held on to her brother for dear life, a lifeline to reality amidst all the craziness that is their life. They refused to be parted, releasing each other for moments of necessity and hygiene. But the sibling that has to be left behind will stand right outside the door, afraid that the other will not come out anymore. They held on to each other through everything, silently promising never to let go.
They held on even in court.
Until the final decision was passed.
Before then, they were strong. Until that final pound of the gavel, everything was still full of hope.
Until the court order was passed.
Their parents were divorced.
Their parents fought over child custody.
Their mother wanted to get both Kazunari and Mirai.
Their father insisted that he had to get Kazunari at all costs.
Their parents both won, in a way.
Their parents won... but the siblings lost, possibly one of the greatest battles silently fought.
Their mother got Mirai.
Their father got Kazunari.
By law, they were no longer siblings. Their mother regained her maiden name, and in turn got Mirai's surname changed as well. Their father was smug, ensuring that he will always have his heir. They cried and punched and threw horrible tantrums, but their childish attempts cannot overturn adult decisions.
"Let me go! Mirai-chan, listen to me carefully ne? No matter what everyone says, I'll always be your nii-chan ne?" he said, trying to stop crying long enough to say these few precious words.
She could only nod, screaming and crying for her brother as they began to take him away from her, their entwined hands slowly sliding apart.
Mirai was never truly happy after that. She really loved her mother, but her Kazu nii-chan and his omurice was something that has become second nature. She tried to cook it the same way, so that somehow, she could feel that he was close. Her mother loved her cooking and always praised it, saying that she was glad she can eat it after a hard day at work.
But hard work was never suited for her mother's weak body. The omurice she cooked was eaten less as the days passed, and she took to cooking porridge and gruel.
But even that was left untouched as well.
Until the day came that no one was left to eat anything that she cooked anymore.
It was the last day of the funeral. She has been straight-faced throughout. She wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come out no matter what she was feeling inside.
And then they came.
"Mirai-chan?"
Her heart stopped. She would know that voice anywhere.
"Kazu nii-chan!" she exclaimed, running towards her brother. The siblings hugged each other, trying to pour into that one gesture all the the pain of separation, the joy of reconciliation, and their love for each other. Soon their embrace had to be broken, and Kazunari smiled at his sister fondly.
"Let's go home?" he said. Her eyes brightened and she nodded, but she was soon distracted by the whispers around her.
It was then she noticed that her father was waiting just outside the temple. Next to him, a tall and beautiful woman wearing a skimpy dress was smoking a cigarette. She giggled and waved flirtatiously at the two children, and Mirai instinctively hid behind her brother.
"Kazu nii-chan... who is that person with Otou-san? Why is she with him?"
He looked at their father's direction, and she noticed how his soft gaze steeled and hardened. He put his arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry about her. Nii-chan is here to protect you. This time, I'll make sure of my promise... I'll make the bad things go away...
...if they don't want to go, we'll defeat the bad things. Together. Ne?"
A week after the burial, an unmarked letter was sent to Mirai and Kazunari. It was dated a few days before the court summons came to their house. It was full of tear stains, making it hard to read. But the feelings that came with the letter were clear enough.
It was from their mother.
To Kazunari-kun and Mirai-chan...
If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember: you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think but the most important thing is, even if we're apart, I'll always be with you.
Gomen ne.
Aishiteru.
Okaa-san
They went back to their house. The beatings lessened and altogether disappeared.
But then they experienced something altogether worse.
Their father and his new wife were always out of the house. There was always a new movie showing in the theaters, a limited edition of a bag or a pair of shoes or some other ridiculously expensive stuff that she wanted to buy. Their father, blinded by young love, bought everything that she wanted.
Blinded by young love, he forgot that there was still someone else that yearned for his love.
The maid that their father hired for his new wife tried to make sure that Mirai and Kazunari eat at least three times a day, but her mistress finds it more important to order her around on useless errands than to make sure that the children eat and go to school. Ultimately, the poor woman was fired.
Thinking that the money given to her was for the childrens' school fees, she gave the envelope entrusted to her to Kazunari. The children then paid for their school trip, happy that their father finally fulfilled their request.
Only to find out when they got home that the money was supposed to be used for buying a new gown for the party that the new mistress was about to go to. She was shouting at the top of her lungs, calling the poor maid all sorts of hideous names while her husband tried to calm her down. Mirai started crying when she heard all the raised voices and saw the only person who actually cared for them being maltreated for something she didn't mean to do. It was a cruel, cruel sight.
Soon the house calmed down. The maid was sent away, the mistress was pacified with promises of a new gown, and the children were beaten as punishment and locked in their rooms without dinner.
Mirai never liked it when people fight and shout. But Kazu nii-chan can make the loud voices go away. He brought out two small cans of tuna from his backpack and gave one to her.
"Sensei gave this to everyone in our class... gomen ne? This is all we have for dinner for tonight..."
Kazunari sighed as he watched his sister eat without complaints. After eating their makeshift dinner they curled up together on the big, cold bed. He hummed a nameless melody as he stroked her hair to sleep, watching as her eyelids slowly drooped and closed. Her tense protective stance loosened, making her less of the adult she was trying so hard to become and more of the child that she ought to be.
In his dreams, he promised that he'll find a way to get the two of them out of this mess.
"Ne darling, don't you have any relatives that could adopt those two brats?"
"Eh? Do they bother you, Yuu-chan?"
"They're always so noisy and they're always crying! Well, the girl does, anyway... And that boy doesn't like me! Can't you just give them away?"
"But I can't give away my heir! I need to train Kazu-kun for the business; he's entering high school soon, and he needs to know the inner workings of the company..."
She lowered her voice seductively and placed her finger on her chin.
"Shall we make your new heir, then?"
Mirai never liked it when people fight and shout, so it was a relief when the long-awaited school trip finally came. They woke up early and prepared their own lunches. When it was time for them to go their father and the new mistress went down to send them off.
"Ittekimasu~" the two kids said. The two of them went on their way, firmly holding hands.
It should have been a clue that the last word they heard from them was not "Itterashai"...
It was "Sayonara."
The trip ended early, so by late afternoon they were already on their way back. Their old neighbor was rummaging through some stuff piled at the front of their gate.
"Obaa-san? What are you looking for?" Kazunari politely asked. The old lady looked up with a shocked look on her face when she saw the children.
"Oh my goodness, what are you doing here?" she asked, obviously not expecting them.
"We just went home from our field trip! Look, Kazu nii-chan bought me a good luck charm! And isn't the key chain pretty~? I really like stars~" said Mirai excitedly, not noticing how cold her brother's hand in her grip was becoming.
"But... your father and his new wife left earlier... they said...
...they said they were leaving... and that they weren't coming back..."
With those words, the siblings went quiet, Mirai stopping her idle chatter. They slowly went inside their house. The gate and the front door were left open, the adults that left not even bothering to close and lock properly. They climbed up the stairs and went into their room.
The big, cold bed was still there. Their clothes and what little toys they had were still there. It looked just how they left it that morning.
But the rest of the house was bare. Furniture, that annoying pet poodle that the new mistress insisted to keep, all the designer clothes and bottles of wine and perfume and their late mother's piano.
Everything was gone.
Their old neighbor followed them inside, quietly shaking her head.
"You don't have any relatives left, right? Poor children... how could anyone do this to their own flesh and blood... I would love to take you in, but I cannot impose on my son's family anymore... I'll call an orphanage of someone I know... I'm sorry that you have to go through this... Gomen ne, Nino-kun, Shida-chan..."
Mirai started quietly sobbing, and Kazunari quietly pulled his sister close. As the old lady helped them pack up their possessions and lead them away from that house that was never a home, the siblings let out sighs that they didn't knew they held...
They were alone.
But they were together.
They were orphans.
But they were free.
*wipes brow* Finally got the chance to post this! Chapter One should be coming up soon :)