1 First Meeting. [Zaiaku Konran/no kill] Sat Oct 26, 2013 3:10 pm
Misoka
D-rank
She thought by then she would have figured it out.
A way to distance herself from all of this, a way to stay on the side and watch her life pass her by. Like the ever-changing seasons, she would have let her heart grow cold over time until there was nothing left but an eternity of numbness.
It didn’t go as planned. When did something ever do?
“Come on out and show me the clothes.” Yimei’s voice sounded excited.
“Yes,” Misoka replied automatically, forcing a faint smile on her lips when she drew back the curtain, which separated the changing cubicle from her room.
A theatrical gasp escaped Yimei’s mouth as she wasted no time examining her grand-daughter, no, how the clothes fit her. “Perfect. I told you it is custom-made, specifically for you.” She smiled to herself, letting a few wrinkles dance over her face.
Misoka stayed still and impassive as if Yimei wasn’t talking to her, as if none of this concerned her in any way. It was only when she was told to do so that she turned to the mirror and regarded herself.
“So, what do you think?” Yimei asked proudly, brushing a strand of golden hair over Misoka’s shoulder. “See, here’s the clan sign. You belong to us, after all.”
The outfit generally consisted of two parts: a black top leaving her stomach exposed and a short white skirt. Apart from that, Misoka was wearing a golden and black, sleeveless jacket which reached slightly over her bottom, almost the same length as her hair. Her feet were covered by long boots, going along with her outfit’s color scheme. The black collar and the ribbons tied around her arms and legs seemed to serve as accessories.
Misoka gazed at her mirror image indifferently. She didn’t like showing so much skin, thus she wouldn’t dress herself like this. It didn’t matter, though. Nobody cared about her opinion.
“So?”
When she picked up Yimei’s warning, she quickly put another smile on her face and turned to her.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you very much, Yimei-san.” Misoka paused for a moment. “Grandmother.”
Now the older woman was satisfied. In her chit-chatty voice, she continued talking about all sorts of things, but Misoka couldn’t say she paid much attention.
Suddenly, another voice cut through the air, silencing Yimei immediately. “I’m not truly convinced yet.”
Both of them whipped around to glance at Akihiko, the clan’s head and Yimei’s husband. He was in his fifties, but his Karisuma genes made him look younger and still fairly handsome.
His eyes slightly narrowed, he walked over to them. “We shouldn’t let her go out on her own. Who knows what she’s up to.”
Yimei shook her head and said,”You have to throw her a bone every now and then. And she won’t do anything stupid, she knows what’s on stake.”
‘My father’s life,’ Misoka thought bitterly. It was always this way. They had brought him to the Karisuma estate only to give her a reason to come back. To obey. It almost made her feel guilty about the so-called “day-offs” she was granted at times. Days when she was allowed to go outside without a bodyguard.
Akihiko snorted. “You really spoil her too much. She needs discipline.”
“But she is obedient!” His wife retorted, throwing a sideways-glance at the young woman beside her. “Aren’t you, my dear?”
And Misoka knew what she had to answer. “Yes.”
She was a pet. A doll. A painting. A product.
But when would she turn back into a human being?
~
The sand was crunching beneath her boots as she walked up the hill at the outskirts of the village. It was too small to offer a glorious view, yet high enough to make most people think it wasn’t worth climbing. She’d been here a couple of times before.
Upon reaching the top, Misoka let her gaze wander for a while, then she sat down on the sandy ground.
With her right hand, she reached for her necklace and observed it absent-mindedly. Why had she chosen to wear it today? Her head lowered and she felt her eyelids droop ever so slightly. She could still hear his words as though it had just been yesterday that he had given the necklace to her.
‘Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the situation, put it on and know that I’m still here. I’m going to come back for you, I promise.’
A broken smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when her grip tightened around the necklace.
But you never came for me.
Not in the past five years. She knew it was pointless to be still waiting. Their paths had split long ago. He might not even waste a thought on her anymore.
And I never came back.
Misoka let go of the necklace, directing her gaze back forward.
Does that make us even? Bokuden?
A light breeze blew through her hair and made her close her eyes. The nature around her was comforting, but it couldn’t erase the feeling of loneliness within her. Sunagakure wasn’t the same village she had come to love. All her old friends were gone. All the people she used to depend on were nowhere to be found. The only person left was her father.
A fact her clan would never cease taking advantage of.
A way to distance herself from all of this, a way to stay on the side and watch her life pass her by. Like the ever-changing seasons, she would have let her heart grow cold over time until there was nothing left but an eternity of numbness.
It didn’t go as planned. When did something ever do?
“Come on out and show me the clothes.” Yimei’s voice sounded excited.
“Yes,” Misoka replied automatically, forcing a faint smile on her lips when she drew back the curtain, which separated the changing cubicle from her room.
A theatrical gasp escaped Yimei’s mouth as she wasted no time examining her grand-daughter, no, how the clothes fit her. “Perfect. I told you it is custom-made, specifically for you.” She smiled to herself, letting a few wrinkles dance over her face.
Misoka stayed still and impassive as if Yimei wasn’t talking to her, as if none of this concerned her in any way. It was only when she was told to do so that she turned to the mirror and regarded herself.
“So, what do you think?” Yimei asked proudly, brushing a strand of golden hair over Misoka’s shoulder. “See, here’s the clan sign. You belong to us, after all.”
The outfit generally consisted of two parts: a black top leaving her stomach exposed and a short white skirt. Apart from that, Misoka was wearing a golden and black, sleeveless jacket which reached slightly over her bottom, almost the same length as her hair. Her feet were covered by long boots, going along with her outfit’s color scheme. The black collar and the ribbons tied around her arms and legs seemed to serve as accessories.
Misoka gazed at her mirror image indifferently. She didn’t like showing so much skin, thus she wouldn’t dress herself like this. It didn’t matter, though. Nobody cared about her opinion.
“So?”
When she picked up Yimei’s warning, she quickly put another smile on her face and turned to her.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you very much, Yimei-san.” Misoka paused for a moment. “Grandmother.”
Now the older woman was satisfied. In her chit-chatty voice, she continued talking about all sorts of things, but Misoka couldn’t say she paid much attention.
Suddenly, another voice cut through the air, silencing Yimei immediately. “I’m not truly convinced yet.”
Both of them whipped around to glance at Akihiko, the clan’s head and Yimei’s husband. He was in his fifties, but his Karisuma genes made him look younger and still fairly handsome.
His eyes slightly narrowed, he walked over to them. “We shouldn’t let her go out on her own. Who knows what she’s up to.”
Yimei shook her head and said,”You have to throw her a bone every now and then. And she won’t do anything stupid, she knows what’s on stake.”
‘My father’s life,’ Misoka thought bitterly. It was always this way. They had brought him to the Karisuma estate only to give her a reason to come back. To obey. It almost made her feel guilty about the so-called “day-offs” she was granted at times. Days when she was allowed to go outside without a bodyguard.
Akihiko snorted. “You really spoil her too much. She needs discipline.”
“But she is obedient!” His wife retorted, throwing a sideways-glance at the young woman beside her. “Aren’t you, my dear?”
And Misoka knew what she had to answer. “Yes.”
She was a pet. A doll. A painting. A product.
But when would she turn back into a human being?
~
The sand was crunching beneath her boots as she walked up the hill at the outskirts of the village. It was too small to offer a glorious view, yet high enough to make most people think it wasn’t worth climbing. She’d been here a couple of times before.
Upon reaching the top, Misoka let her gaze wander for a while, then she sat down on the sandy ground.
With her right hand, she reached for her necklace and observed it absent-mindedly. Why had she chosen to wear it today? Her head lowered and she felt her eyelids droop ever so slightly. She could still hear his words as though it had just been yesterday that he had given the necklace to her.
‘Whenever you feel overwhelmed by the situation, put it on and know that I’m still here. I’m going to come back for you, I promise.’
A broken smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when her grip tightened around the necklace.
But you never came for me.
Not in the past five years. She knew it was pointless to be still waiting. Their paths had split long ago. He might not even waste a thought on her anymore.
And I never came back.
Misoka let go of the necklace, directing her gaze back forward.
Does that make us even? Bokuden?
A light breeze blew through her hair and made her close her eyes. The nature around her was comforting, but it couldn’t erase the feeling of loneliness within her. Sunagakure wasn’t the same village she had come to love. All her old friends were gone. All the people she used to depend on were nowhere to be found. The only person left was her father.
A fact her clan would never cease taking advantage of.