[Bokurano] fic: Those Left Behind: The turn of her heel, the nape of her neck
I'm not sure where this piece came from. XD; Anyway, I read through half the series today (at a very quick speed) since I obviously missed a lot of detail in my previous read! I have such a bad memory for detail too. I don't think this ending is very plausible since I have no idea how much Miku was told, but pretend she doesn't learn the truth until way later, and that she does learn about it eventually. X3;;
I tried Write and Die for ten minutes. Gosh, it was torture. XDD It couldn't stop me from wanting to reread what I just wrote. I did write...200 words in that time, but ended up taking an hour and a half to write the rest. >__>
Title: Those Left Behind: The turn of her heel, the nape of her neck
Day/Theme: Aug 24 The turn of her heel, the nape of her neck
Series: Bokurano
Character/Pairing: Tanaka Miku
Rating: PG
Notes: for 31_days. Manga canon.
Archive: LJ | ffnet
-----
"I just think that if I couldn't make myself sign that contract, I wouldn't be the kind of mother my daughter could be proud of."
-----
Mother was a fighter.
She was entirely unlike other mothers who dressed up fancily and applied thick layers of makeup just to set foot outside of the house. When other mothers wore revealing blouses with low necklines, her mother would wear shirts that demanded no nonsense. When other mothers smelled of strong perfume, her mother would smell of grass and earth and hard work. She could run like no other mother could even in her high heeled shoes. Miku knew her mother could walk as silently as a cat when she wished to, but she always made sure Miku knew of her return. Miku would always wait, listening for the unmistakable clicks of her mother's high heels.
The fact that Mother wasn't your ordinary mother should have caused Miku grief. People used to tease her about her mother's shortly cropped hair and her clothes that seemed much more suited for men. Parents gossiped about how Father was more like a housewife than Mother ever was. In some ways, it was true. Father was home much more than Mother. He was the one who prepared the meals and waited with her for Mother to return home.
The fact that Mother wasn't like any other mother did cause Miku grief, but it wasn't because of the teasing and the gossip. Mother's job was a dangerous one where she could die in duty at any moment. Miku knew that, but she found she didn't really know what that meant until it really happened.
Father wouldn't let her see Mother, but merely seeing Mother's forlorn pilot chair was enough for her to break down.
Through her tears, she noticed a boy who gazed at her with a lost expression.
-----
Mother's funeral was a small one, but even though it was small, Miku didn't even know half of the people who came. There were people who knew Mother from the academy, people who knew her from the military, and people who knew Mother from before she had become Miku's mother. There were all these people who knew Mother outside of Miku's world.
Miku envied them.
Some patted her on the head and tried to console her, telling her about how great her mother had been while she was alive, how sad it was that she had to pass away. Miku didn't want to hear any of that. Their words were meaningless. Miku already knew all they were trying to tell her. Condolences like these wouldn't bring her mother back.
At home, she continued to eat dinner with Father just like before, as if they were merely waiting for Mother to come home. But no matter how long she waited, she never again heard the loud clicks of her mother's high heels coming up to their door, nor did she ever again see the reassuring image of Mother walking toward her in her casual shirts. Gone as well was the comforting scent Mother brought back from a hard day of work.
At school, her classmates had stopped teasing her. In the neighborhood, the parents' gossip had turned into pity.
Miku didn't want any of that. She would rather the teasing and gossiping continue.
-----
Mother's death hadn't been in vain.
It took years for Miku to finally understand what her mother's death had meant and how that boy with the lost expression had fit in all of this. When realization struck, Miku was once again envious. She was envious of that boy who had known a side of her mother she had never been able to get close to, envious of the time he got to spend with her. She was envious, and at the same time, ashamed of herself.
Mother had been a fighter. That boy, her brother who she would never get to know, had been a fighter too.
Miku looked in the mirror.
What was she?
Without thinking, she grabbed the scissors next to her and snipped away at her hair.
As the locks fell, she felt lighter and lighter, like she could take on the world, this world that wanted to pity her when Miku didn't need any of that. She was Mother's daughter, and she could be a fighter too, a daughter that Mother would have been proud of.
-----
the end
I tried Write and Die for ten minutes. Gosh, it was torture. XDD It couldn't stop me from wanting to reread what I just wrote. I did write...200 words in that time, but ended up taking an hour and a half to write the rest. >__>
Title: Those Left Behind: The turn of her heel, the nape of her neck
Day/Theme: Aug 24 The turn of her heel, the nape of her neck
Series: Bokurano
Character/Pairing: Tanaka Miku
Rating: PG
Notes: for 31_days. Manga canon.
Archive: LJ | ffnet
-----
"I just think that if I couldn't make myself sign that contract, I wouldn't be the kind of mother my daughter could be proud of."
-----
Mother was a fighter.
She was entirely unlike other mothers who dressed up fancily and applied thick layers of makeup just to set foot outside of the house. When other mothers wore revealing blouses with low necklines, her mother would wear shirts that demanded no nonsense. When other mothers smelled of strong perfume, her mother would smell of grass and earth and hard work. She could run like no other mother could even in her high heeled shoes. Miku knew her mother could walk as silently as a cat when she wished to, but she always made sure Miku knew of her return. Miku would always wait, listening for the unmistakable clicks of her mother's high heels.
The fact that Mother wasn't your ordinary mother should have caused Miku grief. People used to tease her about her mother's shortly cropped hair and her clothes that seemed much more suited for men. Parents gossiped about how Father was more like a housewife than Mother ever was. In some ways, it was true. Father was home much more than Mother. He was the one who prepared the meals and waited with her for Mother to return home.
The fact that Mother wasn't like any other mother did cause Miku grief, but it wasn't because of the teasing and the gossip. Mother's job was a dangerous one where she could die in duty at any moment. Miku knew that, but she found she didn't really know what that meant until it really happened.
Father wouldn't let her see Mother, but merely seeing Mother's forlorn pilot chair was enough for her to break down.
Through her tears, she noticed a boy who gazed at her with a lost expression.
-----
Mother's funeral was a small one, but even though it was small, Miku didn't even know half of the people who came. There were people who knew Mother from the academy, people who knew her from the military, and people who knew Mother from before she had become Miku's mother. There were all these people who knew Mother outside of Miku's world.
Miku envied them.
Some patted her on the head and tried to console her, telling her about how great her mother had been while she was alive, how sad it was that she had to pass away. Miku didn't want to hear any of that. Their words were meaningless. Miku already knew all they were trying to tell her. Condolences like these wouldn't bring her mother back.
At home, she continued to eat dinner with Father just like before, as if they were merely waiting for Mother to come home. But no matter how long she waited, she never again heard the loud clicks of her mother's high heels coming up to their door, nor did she ever again see the reassuring image of Mother walking toward her in her casual shirts. Gone as well was the comforting scent Mother brought back from a hard day of work.
At school, her classmates had stopped teasing her. In the neighborhood, the parents' gossip had turned into pity.
Miku didn't want any of that. She would rather the teasing and gossiping continue.
-----
Mother's death hadn't been in vain.
It took years for Miku to finally understand what her mother's death had meant and how that boy with the lost expression had fit in all of this. When realization struck, Miku was once again envious. She was envious of that boy who had known a side of her mother she had never been able to get close to, envious of the time he got to spend with her. She was envious, and at the same time, ashamed of herself.
Mother had been a fighter. That boy, her brother who she would never get to know, had been a fighter too.
Miku looked in the mirror.
What was she?
Without thinking, she grabbed the scissors next to her and snipped away at her hair.
As the locks fell, she felt lighter and lighter, like she could take on the world, this world that wanted to pity her when Miku didn't need any of that. She was Mother's daughter, and she could be a fighter too, a daughter that Mother would have been proud of.
-----
the end