Watching You
Apr. 27th, 2012 06:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
wonderlifeAuthor: Nichole
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,162
Story Title: Watching You
Story: AU WE ARE
I.
He cleaned the sticky blood from his hands before returning to Tokyo. He destroyed his old, blood soaked clothing before returning to the tiny apartment he shared with the girl he loved more than anyone. He was doing it all for her, but he’d never let that secret out. And, it was a great secret. For, if she ever knew . . . he was sure she’d run away. They were living a normal life together, as new people. He was Oto Jiro and she had become Masaki Taka. Jiro couldn’t risk that being destroyed.
During the early morning hours, Jiro worked a delivery man, bringing newspapers to the Setagaya ward in Tokyo. During the mid hours of the afternoon, he worked in a 7-Eleven. She didn’t work; she was still just sixteen, and Jiro feared her being found. If the adults knew she was still alive . . . they’d take her back. And, there would be questions. Questions about the deaths of her former classmates; the ones he had tortured and killed for their crimes against her.
Every day at sunset, rain or shine, she waited for him at the swings near their apartment. When he came toward her, she would stand and simply tell him; “Welcome home.” It was that short sentence that made everything alright. It made everything he did alright.
II.
Sometimes he worried that she was slowly figuring out his secrets. Taka would sit on the narrow
bed they shared and simply stare at him as he went about his nightly routine. Wearing one of his long-sleeved dress shirts and a pair of shorts, she looked like the child he knew she was supposed to still be. But, her eyes gave it all away – she was a broken young woman, and he was a puzzle she was trying to put together.
“Are you going out again tonight?” Taka questioned her voice tiny. He could hardly hear her over the small fan that sat in the doorway between the living room and their bedroom.
Jiro, who had been busy getting a glass of water, glanced over at her. He took a sip from his glass before shaking his head. “No. I’m not going tonight.”
Taka nodded slowly. Idly she began pulling her sleeves down farther. “I have trouble when you’re gone. I . . . somehow it’s scary when you’re gone.” she spared a look over to their one window. “The tree branches play tricks when you’re not here.”
“You have bad dreams even when I’m here.” He reminded gently.
“They’re worse when you’re not here. I forget you’ll come back.” Nervously she bit her lower lip. “I start to forget I’m Masaki Taka now. I start to think I’m Nojima Kazuko again.”
Nodding understandingly, Jiro put his glass on the counter. He couldn’t stop her from being scared. And, her nightmares wouldn’t stop coming. Even if he told her that he was getting rid of her tormenters. All Jiro could hope for was that the nightmares would become less once he had taken revenge for both Masaki Taka and Nojima Kazuko.
Casually he walked out of their kitchenette, stepped lightly over the fan, and moved to sit beside Taka on the bed. Gently, he patted her head. He wanted to give her some kind of comfort, but knew that there was very little he could say to make her feel at ease. Instead, he decided to tell her soothing words that were only half-truths.
“You’re Masaki Taka. Nojima Kazuko died nearly a year ago, don’t you know that?” Jiro slipped a hand into hers and smiled sweetly. “She died very well, and she was mourned by her childhood friend, Jiro.”
Taka’s eyes stayed locked on their coped hands. “She died.” She spoke as if she was trying to will herself to believe. “Nojima Kazuko died the same day Masaki Taka was born.” Taka nodded to herself. “Then,” she glanced up at Jiro. “Taka waited for Oto Jiro to come.”
“Yes,” Jiro nodded. “I came to live with you.”
“You won’t go out tonight?”
“Not tonight.” Tomorrow. He’d let her tormenters have a night off; if only to give Taka some comfort.
III.
The more he watched her, the more he was sure she knew everything about him. He didn’t want her to know; because if she knew and was ignoring his sins . . . that meant she wasn’t as pure and good as he believed her to be. Taka stared at him all the time; carefully watched his every move.
“Am I that handsome?” Jiro asked with a cheeky grin. He was sitting at the table, calmly eating his breakfast. He could feel Taka’s eyes on him. She was sitting opposite him and instead of eating her own breakfast – she was watching him closely.
“No.” Taka shook her head; then, paused in thought for a brief moment to really think the question over carefully. “I don’t know, actually.”
“I am that handsome. But, that doesn’t mean you should stare at me.” He pushed a bowl closer to her. “Eat more, Taka. You’re getting too thin.”
Taka looked from the bowl to Jiro and back again. “If I eat, you have to stay in tonight, okay?”
“Taka,”
“You have to promise. Please.”
“Promise.”
IV.
At night the two of them slept together in a narrow bed. Jiro had to hold her gently against him, because of her nightmares. The nightmares were happening less often, but they were still happening. She’d wake in the middle of the night, screaming. Jiro would hug her close to him and whisper words of comfort into her ears.
Jiro was woken from his slumber by the sound of Taka’s screams and the feel of her tiny fist against his chest; another nightmare. Sitting them up, Jiro held Taka too tightly to him, as she cried. Through her tears, Jiro could hear Taka whimpering words to herself.
“No, I don’t want it. No. No, please. No.”
Holding her close he smoothed out her hair, all the while slowly rocking them back and forth. “It’s okay. It’s fine.” Jiro gently kissed the side of her head. “No one can hurt you now. I’m here. It’s fine. It’s okay, now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.”
V.
Whenever he was around, she watched him closely. Taka wasn’t completely sure why she was watching him, just that there was something off about Jiro’s behavior. She wanted to know why he was acting strangely. Why he was keeping secrets. Family members weren’t supposed to keep secrets from one another. Taka was sure of that.
She had figured out that his secrets had something to do with his late nights away, so she begged him to stay with her. Taka was nearly sure that would be helpful, if only to make him forget about his secrets, for a while anyway. Whatever he was secretly doing couldn’t be as important as keeping their family together.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,162
Story Title: Watching You
Story: AU WE ARE
I.
He cleaned the sticky blood from his hands before returning to Tokyo. He destroyed his old, blood soaked clothing before returning to the tiny apartment he shared with the girl he loved more than anyone. He was doing it all for her, but he’d never let that secret out. And, it was a great secret. For, if she ever knew . . . he was sure she’d run away. They were living a normal life together, as new people. He was Oto Jiro and she had become Masaki Taka. Jiro couldn’t risk that being destroyed.
During the early morning hours, Jiro worked a delivery man, bringing newspapers to the Setagaya ward in Tokyo. During the mid hours of the afternoon, he worked in a 7-Eleven. She didn’t work; she was still just sixteen, and Jiro feared her being found. If the adults knew she was still alive . . . they’d take her back. And, there would be questions. Questions about the deaths of her former classmates; the ones he had tortured and killed for their crimes against her.
Every day at sunset, rain or shine, she waited for him at the swings near their apartment. When he came toward her, she would stand and simply tell him; “Welcome home.” It was that short sentence that made everything alright. It made everything he did alright.
II.
Sometimes he worried that she was slowly figuring out his secrets. Taka would sit on the narrow
bed they shared and simply stare at him as he went about his nightly routine. Wearing one of his long-sleeved dress shirts and a pair of shorts, she looked like the child he knew she was supposed to still be. But, her eyes gave it all away – she was a broken young woman, and he was a puzzle she was trying to put together.
“Are you going out again tonight?” Taka questioned her voice tiny. He could hardly hear her over the small fan that sat in the doorway between the living room and their bedroom.
Jiro, who had been busy getting a glass of water, glanced over at her. He took a sip from his glass before shaking his head. “No. I’m not going tonight.”
Taka nodded slowly. Idly she began pulling her sleeves down farther. “I have trouble when you’re gone. I . . . somehow it’s scary when you’re gone.” she spared a look over to their one window. “The tree branches play tricks when you’re not here.”
“You have bad dreams even when I’m here.” He reminded gently.
“They’re worse when you’re not here. I forget you’ll come back.” Nervously she bit her lower lip. “I start to forget I’m Masaki Taka now. I start to think I’m Nojima Kazuko again.”
Nodding understandingly, Jiro put his glass on the counter. He couldn’t stop her from being scared. And, her nightmares wouldn’t stop coming. Even if he told her that he was getting rid of her tormenters. All Jiro could hope for was that the nightmares would become less once he had taken revenge for both Masaki Taka and Nojima Kazuko.
Casually he walked out of their kitchenette, stepped lightly over the fan, and moved to sit beside Taka on the bed. Gently, he patted her head. He wanted to give her some kind of comfort, but knew that there was very little he could say to make her feel at ease. Instead, he decided to tell her soothing words that were only half-truths.
“You’re Masaki Taka. Nojima Kazuko died nearly a year ago, don’t you know that?” Jiro slipped a hand into hers and smiled sweetly. “She died very well, and she was mourned by her childhood friend, Jiro.”
Taka’s eyes stayed locked on their coped hands. “She died.” She spoke as if she was trying to will herself to believe. “Nojima Kazuko died the same day Masaki Taka was born.” Taka nodded to herself. “Then,” she glanced up at Jiro. “Taka waited for Oto Jiro to come.”
“Yes,” Jiro nodded. “I came to live with you.”
“You won’t go out tonight?”
“Not tonight.” Tomorrow. He’d let her tormenters have a night off; if only to give Taka some comfort.
III.
The more he watched her, the more he was sure she knew everything about him. He didn’t want her to know; because if she knew and was ignoring his sins . . . that meant she wasn’t as pure and good as he believed her to be. Taka stared at him all the time; carefully watched his every move.
“Am I that handsome?” Jiro asked with a cheeky grin. He was sitting at the table, calmly eating his breakfast. He could feel Taka’s eyes on him. She was sitting opposite him and instead of eating her own breakfast – she was watching him closely.
“No.” Taka shook her head; then, paused in thought for a brief moment to really think the question over carefully. “I don’t know, actually.”
“I am that handsome. But, that doesn’t mean you should stare at me.” He pushed a bowl closer to her. “Eat more, Taka. You’re getting too thin.”
Taka looked from the bowl to Jiro and back again. “If I eat, you have to stay in tonight, okay?”
“Taka,”
“You have to promise. Please.”
“Promise.”
IV.
At night the two of them slept together in a narrow bed. Jiro had to hold her gently against him, because of her nightmares. The nightmares were happening less often, but they were still happening. She’d wake in the middle of the night, screaming. Jiro would hug her close to him and whisper words of comfort into her ears.
Jiro was woken from his slumber by the sound of Taka’s screams and the feel of her tiny fist against his chest; another nightmare. Sitting them up, Jiro held Taka too tightly to him, as she cried. Through her tears, Jiro could hear Taka whimpering words to herself.
“No, I don’t want it. No. No, please. No.”
Holding her close he smoothed out her hair, all the while slowly rocking them back and forth. “It’s okay. It’s fine.” Jiro gently kissed the side of her head. “No one can hurt you now. I’m here. It’s fine. It’s okay, now. No one’s ever going to hurt you again.”
V.
Whenever he was around, she watched him closely. Taka wasn’t completely sure why she was watching him, just that there was something off about Jiro’s behavior. She wanted to know why he was acting strangely. Why he was keeping secrets. Family members weren’t supposed to keep secrets from one another. Taka was sure of that.
She had figured out that his secrets had something to do with his late nights away, so she begged him to stay with her. Taka was nearly sure that would be helpful, if only to make him forget about his secrets, for a while anyway. Whatever he was secretly doing couldn’t be as important as keeping their family together.
