CHAPTER 1
"Mama?" Leiko asked approaching her mother slowly. "Mama what's wrong?" She asked her emerald eyes filled with concern as she reached out and grabbed he mother's sleeve with one of her small hands. The woman jumped as if she'd just realized somebody was there. Her eyes were red and her face was stained with wet tears. "Leiko-chan." She said softly scooping the little girl into her amr sand hugging her tightly. The woman cried into her daughter's hair for a moment. "Mama where's Father isn't he supposed to be home by now?" Leiko asked. Her mother,Kaiya pulled away from her daughter looking into her eyes. "Leiko-chan ....you're father isn't going to be coming back." Leiko blinked her six year old mind not comprehending the meaning behind these words. "Of course he's gonna be back Mama he promised!" Kaiya chocked back a sob and smoothed her eldest daughter's hair. "Sweetie, This is hard to explain. You're going to have to be strong for your sisters and for me. You're a big girl now." -------------------------------------------------------------------
"Onee-chan! Come play with me!" Aiko called. Leiko sighed. "Aiko can't you see I'm busy. I'll come play with you later okay?" Aiko put on a pouty face and crossed her arms. "You're no fun." Leiko sighed and shook her head. 'I'm trying to help Mother now, you know how she is..." Leiko didn't like to say it but her mother was deteriorating. It was like ever year she was without her father another piece of her faded away. Leiko being the eldest was obligated to help her mother. It had been four years since her father died leaving behind two daughters and an unborn child. "Can't you play with me now? Today is supposed to be special." Leiko rolled her eyes picking up the basket once again. "Another year older isn't special Aiko. It's actually depressing really." "Not for me!" Aiko argued following closely behind her elder sister. "Well I'm not you Aiko okay?" The two sister's entered the hut where their family lived and Leiko set down the basket . "Stop following me." She ordered turning and leaving. Aiko stood in the doorway watching as her older sister disappeared. She looked down at their youngest sibling. "She really needs to act her age..." Aiko stated before tip-toeing off to spy on her sister.
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Leiko sat on the river bank putting her feet in the cold water and looked down at her reflection. What did it mean to be turning ten? Was she the exact same age and then suddenly on this date did all the other days count? Leiko kicked at her reflection not really caring what it meant anymore.
The forest she was in was the place where her father was killed. She came as often as she could just to sit and try her best to be close to him. She looked into the water and looked at herself disgusted. Her parents had commented on how she looked so much more like her fatehr than her mother. "It's probably why she won't look at me anymore." She thought and then sighed. "I'm not a kid...I should be wasting my time on this anymore..." She muttered looking off into the trees. 'I'm never gonna see him.'
"Onee-chan?" Leiko jumped at the sound of her sister's voice and could feel anger rising inside her. "Aiko I said not to follow me." Her sister sat next to Leiko and repeated only adding this time. "Onee-chan... You need to lighten up." Aiko said taking her sister's hand and smiling. "Lighten up? What are you talking about?" "Onee-chan people older than you act less mature. Even when you were my age you didn't act normal." Leiko looked down at her sister and gave her a huge hug. "Now go home. I really just want to be alone. Besides mother willed be worried if you're not back soon." Leiko said giving ehr sister a smile. Aiko looked at her not sure what sort of impact her words had made but smile anyway. "Okay."
Noontime Shadows · Thu Aug 10, 2006 @ 04:37pm · 0 Comments |