While You Were Sleeping
Dec. 28th, 2008 12:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
contract_starAuthor: ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
quirkypeanutblu
Character/Fandom: Hei/Darker than BLACK
Prompt: 21. time held on
Word Count: 1,081
Summary: Hei senses his time with Xin is fading, so he tries to make the most of it.
Author Notes/Warnings: Beware the sad ): Or perhaps the emo. Written on a plane with a 45 minute battery, so I’m not sure the quality is 100%
He had awakened that morning with the terrible sense that he was going to lose something.
He called in sick to the restaurant without really knowing why, leaving everything to the head chef. The babysitter showed up before Hei could give her a call, so Hei sent her off with an apology and an advance on the next appointment. Hei hadn’t acted this impulsively since his assassin days, when he had acted with only his sister and his own survival in mind.
It was just a feeling. He tried to tell himself that that was all it was—just a feeling. But something was wrong. It was almost like a mist was rolling in over Tokyo, over the entire world, making everything hazy, difficult to understand, vague.
He found himself in Xin’s room, waiting for her to wake up.
Hei liked this. He liked to watch Misaki or Xin or Eiji come awake, to see their eyes open and the understanding that it was a new day come over them. It was stupid, really, but it was simple and beautiful.
Xin’s eyes fluttered open after only a few minutes, and when she saw her father she rubbed her eyes in confusion.
“Daddy not work?”
He smiled down at her.
“No, Daddy isn’t working today. Today we’re going to do whatever you want—anything you want. Does that sound good?”
A smile blossomed over her face. It was amazing, really, how easily she could smile.
“Anyfing?”
“That’s right. Anything.”
She rolled up and out of bed, getting tangled in her sheets and stumbling to the floor, absolutely beaming.
“Okay! Anyfing! Den, den can I have cookies an’ pancakes for breakfass! Daddy, can I have cookies an’ pancakes, pleeease?”
He scooped her up and hugged her tight, laughing.
“Cookies and pancakes it is, then.”
-------
Anything Xin asked of him—anything that was within his physical ability to accomplish, anyway—Hei granted. The zoo, the park, the Astronomy Division to visit Kanami, the University to visit Eiji, their favorite ramen stand for lunch, then a walk back to their neighborhood with Xin on Hei’s shoulders, where she could see everything. It was afternoon by then, and Xin was wearing out; but this was an opportunity that even a three-year-old knew to take advantage of.
“Can see Aunt Yin, please? I want see Aunt Yin!”
Hei bounced her a little on his shoulders and turned past their house, heading a few doors down to where Yin was living.
Yin smiled when she saw them coming—really smiled. She’d been working on facial expressions these past seven years. It got to the point sometimes that Hei forgot she was a Doll.
Hei set Xin down and Xin seemed to forget her tiredness. She grabbed Yin by the hem of her dress, beaming up at her.
“Aunt Yin, I got Daddy all myself today! Daddy has do everfing I say,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Does he, then?” Yin said, her voice warm and soft. “You must have been a very good girl to get such extra-special treatment.”
“He best Daddy evuh!”
There was something heartbreaking in that statement, but Hei couldn’t put his finger on it. That feeling of dread, of impending loss, had only increased as the day went by. He was getting the feeling that, with every step he took forward, bits of the world were disappearing behind him. He was almost afraid to look behind him.
“Xin, you know, I think there’s a glass of lemonade waiting in the kitchen for you. Why don’t you go see?”
“Yaaaay!” Xin took off for the kitchen. Yin sat down in one of her armchairs. Her face became almost, but not quite expressionless.
“Hei…something is wrong, isn’t it?”
She could always read him. Even now after seven years, she could still read him better than anyone else, better even than Misaki.
“I can’t describe it,” Hei said, too fidgety to sit down. “It’s…a feeling.”
Yin was silent for a long time.
“You should…trust feelings,” she said at length, softly. She paused. “Make the most of this.”
He frowned a little, wondering if Yin could sense it too. She always seemed to have a better sense of things than he usually gave her credit for.
Eventually, he nodded.
-------
The sun was setting by the time they finally made it back home, and Xin was yawning just about every second. They’d managed to get in a trip to the toy store and then a stop at a dango stand after leaving Yin’s place. Xin was clutching a brand new, fluffy blue sheep in one hand.
“His name is Wumple, and I gonna have him marry Misser Snuffles,” she said sleepily. “I really like sheep an’ I awso like blue and purple.”
Mister Snuffles was the purple sheep Hei had gotten for her only a few days ago. She adored the thing.
Tokyo seemed to be fading into darkness behind them as they climbed the front stairs into their house. Hei’s heart was pounding. It was happening.
Xin barely made it to the living room before she was nodding off. Hei sat down in the nearest chair and cradled her in his arms.
Why was he so sad?
Why did it feel like Xin was dying?
“You best Daddy evuh,” Xin said, for probably the tenth time that day.
Hei hugged her close. “Did you have fun today? Did you do everything you wanted to do?”
She made a sort of humming sound and rubbed at her eyes.
“I wanted see stars wif Daddy. Daddy, can we see stars later?”
He hugged her tighter. He was shaking. The colors were bleeding from the room.
“Of course we can. I promise.”
She smiled tiredly and her eyes closed.
“I love Daddy.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers.
“I love you too, Xin.”
It was cold. Drafty. Darker than it should have been. Hei’s hands dropped into his lap.
He opened his eyes, already knowing what he would see.
Hei was sitting in a chair near a wall in the middle of a barren apartment. The apartment was small and sparsely furnished; there was just room enough for two people. Outside the window, it was snowing over the city of Sapporo.
He looked down at his empty hands, not even noticing the wetness on his face.
Then he let out a roar like a wounded lion and put his fist through the wall.
quirkypeanutbluCharacter/Fandom: Hei/Darker than BLACK
Prompt: 21. time held on
Word Count: 1,081
Summary: Hei senses his time with Xin is fading, so he tries to make the most of it.
Author Notes/Warnings: Beware the sad ): Or perhaps the emo. Written on a plane with a 45 minute battery, so I’m not sure the quality is 100%
He had awakened that morning with the terrible sense that he was going to lose something.
He called in sick to the restaurant without really knowing why, leaving everything to the head chef. The babysitter showed up before Hei could give her a call, so Hei sent her off with an apology and an advance on the next appointment. Hei hadn’t acted this impulsively since his assassin days, when he had acted with only his sister and his own survival in mind.
It was just a feeling. He tried to tell himself that that was all it was—just a feeling. But something was wrong. It was almost like a mist was rolling in over Tokyo, over the entire world, making everything hazy, difficult to understand, vague.
He found himself in Xin’s room, waiting for her to wake up.
Hei liked this. He liked to watch Misaki or Xin or Eiji come awake, to see their eyes open and the understanding that it was a new day come over them. It was stupid, really, but it was simple and beautiful.
Xin’s eyes fluttered open after only a few minutes, and when she saw her father she rubbed her eyes in confusion.
“Daddy not work?”
He smiled down at her.
“No, Daddy isn’t working today. Today we’re going to do whatever you want—anything you want. Does that sound good?”
A smile blossomed over her face. It was amazing, really, how easily she could smile.
“Anyfing?”
“That’s right. Anything.”
She rolled up and out of bed, getting tangled in her sheets and stumbling to the floor, absolutely beaming.
“Okay! Anyfing! Den, den can I have cookies an’ pancakes for breakfass! Daddy, can I have cookies an’ pancakes, pleeease?”
He scooped her up and hugged her tight, laughing.
“Cookies and pancakes it is, then.”
-------
Anything Xin asked of him—anything that was within his physical ability to accomplish, anyway—Hei granted. The zoo, the park, the Astronomy Division to visit Kanami, the University to visit Eiji, their favorite ramen stand for lunch, then a walk back to their neighborhood with Xin on Hei’s shoulders, where she could see everything. It was afternoon by then, and Xin was wearing out; but this was an opportunity that even a three-year-old knew to take advantage of.
“Can see Aunt Yin, please? I want see Aunt Yin!”
Hei bounced her a little on his shoulders and turned past their house, heading a few doors down to where Yin was living.
Yin smiled when she saw them coming—really smiled. She’d been working on facial expressions these past seven years. It got to the point sometimes that Hei forgot she was a Doll.
Hei set Xin down and Xin seemed to forget her tiredness. She grabbed Yin by the hem of her dress, beaming up at her.
“Aunt Yin, I got Daddy all myself today! Daddy has do everfing I say,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Does he, then?” Yin said, her voice warm and soft. “You must have been a very good girl to get such extra-special treatment.”
“He best Daddy evuh!”
There was something heartbreaking in that statement, but Hei couldn’t put his finger on it. That feeling of dread, of impending loss, had only increased as the day went by. He was getting the feeling that, with every step he took forward, bits of the world were disappearing behind him. He was almost afraid to look behind him.
“Xin, you know, I think there’s a glass of lemonade waiting in the kitchen for you. Why don’t you go see?”
“Yaaaay!” Xin took off for the kitchen. Yin sat down in one of her armchairs. Her face became almost, but not quite expressionless.
“Hei…something is wrong, isn’t it?”
She could always read him. Even now after seven years, she could still read him better than anyone else, better even than Misaki.
“I can’t describe it,” Hei said, too fidgety to sit down. “It’s…a feeling.”
Yin was silent for a long time.
“You should…trust feelings,” she said at length, softly. She paused. “Make the most of this.”
He frowned a little, wondering if Yin could sense it too. She always seemed to have a better sense of things than he usually gave her credit for.
Eventually, he nodded.
-------
The sun was setting by the time they finally made it back home, and Xin was yawning just about every second. They’d managed to get in a trip to the toy store and then a stop at a dango stand after leaving Yin’s place. Xin was clutching a brand new, fluffy blue sheep in one hand.
“His name is Wumple, and I gonna have him marry Misser Snuffles,” she said sleepily. “I really like sheep an’ I awso like blue and purple.”
Mister Snuffles was the purple sheep Hei had gotten for her only a few days ago. She adored the thing.
Tokyo seemed to be fading into darkness behind them as they climbed the front stairs into their house. Hei’s heart was pounding. It was happening.
Xin barely made it to the living room before she was nodding off. Hei sat down in the nearest chair and cradled her in his arms.
Why was he so sad?
Why did it feel like Xin was dying?
“You best Daddy evuh,” Xin said, for probably the tenth time that day.
Hei hugged her close. “Did you have fun today? Did you do everything you wanted to do?”
She made a sort of humming sound and rubbed at her eyes.
“I wanted see stars wif Daddy. Daddy, can we see stars later?”
He hugged her tighter. He was shaking. The colors were bleeding from the room.
“Of course we can. I promise.”
She smiled tiredly and her eyes closed.
“I love Daddy.”
He closed his eyes and rested his head against hers.
“I love you too, Xin.”
It was cold. Drafty. Darker than it should have been. Hei’s hands dropped into his lap.
He opened his eyes, already knowing what he would see.
Hei was sitting in a chair near a wall in the middle of a barren apartment. The apartment was small and sparsely furnished; there was just room enough for two people. Outside the window, it was snowing over the city of Sapporo.
He looked down at his empty hands, not even noticing the wetness on his face.
Then he let out a roar like a wounded lion and put his fist through the wall.
