Chapter Text
The sun was just starting to rise when little Susato Mikotoba blinked awake in the early morning. The three year old sat up, yawned, and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. It didn't take long for her to wake up completely; she was usually an early riser. Getting out of bed, she pulled the covers back up to her pillow as neatly as she could. After all, big girls made their beds, and she was a big girl, so her bed must be made!
Once everything was neat and tidy, she made her way to the kitchen. She could already hear noises coming from the room before she even got there; Grandmother must be making breakfast! Susato's mouth watered at the delicious smell and she hurried to the older woman's side.
“Good morning, Grandmother!” Susato greeted her excitedly, but politely as well, remembering to give a little bow, just like she had been taught. Grandmother looked down at her and smiled sweetly, gently patting her on the head.
“Good morning, Susato,” She greeted back, glancing back at the food and giving it a quick stir before turning back to the little girl, “Did you sleep well?” After Susato nodded, she continued, “I'm just making breakfast, would you like to help? Or perhaps you'd like to say good morning to your Papa?” She pointed towards the doorway of the dining room. Susato could just see her Papa, Yujin Mikotoba, sitting at the table and reading a book.
"Umm…” The little girl hesitated a bit. Papa had been back from a place called “London” for a while now. "A few weeks,” her grandmother had told some friends of hers at the market the other day when Susato went with her. She wasn't really scared to go and talk to the man; her papa was very nice. Ever since Susato could remember, he had sent so many letters that her grandmother would read out loud to her. He even brought her a present when he came back from being away, a music box that played the prettiest song! So Susato really liked him, but she did still feel a little shy around him. She wasn't sure why, she just did.
Grandmother always asked if Susato would like to say good morning to him on her own or wait until breakfast was being served, then tell him good morning with her. Every day, Susato chose to help with breakfast first. Papa never seemed to mind, and it felt easier to talk to him when her grandmother was there. So it made sense that she was asking again; she never made Susato say hello on her own if she didn't want to. While Susato still felt nervous, she was feeling a little braver this morning. She decided she was going to try it out on her own. After all, she was a big girl, and a big girl shouldn't be scared to say good morning, right?
“I wanna say good morning to Papa,” She said softly but determinedly. Her grandmother's smile grew, pride shining in her eyes.
“Very well, go on then, dear,” She gave Susato an encouraging pat, turning back to the food, “I'll be in shortly, breakfast shouldn't be long now,” That made Susato feel a little better; knowing that her grandmother wouldn't be far behind made it seem easier. So she took a deep breath and made her way to the dining room, shyly peeking her head in the entryway.
Papa was still reading, sipping a bit of tea after turning the page of his book. Susato wondered if she should say hello right then or wait until he was done, but he quickly noticed her. He smiled, closing his book and placed it off to the side, "Good morning, Susato." He greeted warmly, setting her nerves at ease, "How are you today? Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Papa," She replied back with a smile, making sure to remember her bow. She came to kneel next him at the table, "I had a good sleep and had a really nice dream. Do you wanna hear it, Papa?" She asked shyly. Her dream had been kind of silly but she had liked it! So she was very happy when Papa nodded, patting his lap in invitation, which she gladly accepted. She quickly clambered on, snuggling into him and getting comfortable. Though she sometimes still felt shy around Papa, she had quickly discovered he was the best at giving hugs and had the most comfortable lap!
“I had a dream that I was really, really tiny, and I was in a great big field of flowers!” She began, extending her arms as far as she could reach to show just how big the field was. It was even bigger in her dream!
“Is that so?” Papa said, his eyes twinkling, “How exciting!”
“Mhm! And I had wings too! Big wings like a…a butterfly!” She grew more excited as she told the story of her dream. She had so much fun flying around, landing on the flowers. There was even another butterfly flying with her after a while, “She had such pretty, pink wings, Papa,” She sighed happily, “We played until the sun started to go away, then she said she had to go, but she loved me. Then I woke up,” She finished with a nod.
“That sounds like a very nice dream, sweetheart,” Papa told her, “Is pink your favorite color?”
“Yes, it is a very nice color,” She replied matter-of-factly. It was the best color, Susato thought, but she knew other people liked other colors better and didn't want to sound bossy on what the best color was, “But the flowers weren't pink,” She added, absent-mindedly playing with the hem of her father's sleeves, “They were purple!”
“Purple flowers? Well, those sound like they'd be very nice to look at.” Papa said with a small smile, “I wonder, what type of flowers were those?” He asked her curiously.
Susato honestly didn't know what kind of flowers they were, but before she could answer, Grandmother entered the room, carrying some plates and cups with her, “Breakfast is ready!” She sang, “Susato, dear, do you mind helping me set the table?” Susato perked up and wriggled her way off Papa's lap, eager to help out. Maybe she could talk more about the dream later.
"Guess what, Susato?" Grandmother asked with a twinkle in her eyes as she and Papa cleared the table. Breakfast was over now, and it had been very yummy! Susato had just finished the last bite of her food when Grandmother spoke, "You and your Papa get to go visit your Auntie Ume and Kazuma today! You can even spend the night!”
“Really!?” Susato gasped excitedly, “Yay!” She cheered.
Susato loved going to Auntie Ume's house. She had known Auntie and Kazuma since forever, and they were so much fun to be around. Auntie would let her help in her garden, tell her stories, brush her hair and make it look nice, and all sorts of different things! Grandmother said that Auntie knew her parents since before she was born, and was best friends with her Mama. Susato didn't know much about her Mama, and she was a little afraid to ask sometimes because people seemed to get sad if she was mentioned, but one day she hoped to get brave enough to ask Auntie about her.
And Kazuma? Kazuma was Susato's best friend in the whole world! Well, her only friend, but still! He was a big kid, but he always made time to play with her, even really silly games, and he never got scared of things like the dark or icky bugs. He never minded her following him around, even though she was little. Susato hoped they'd stay friends forever. Spending the night at his house was always so much fun!
"Wait," The little girl said as she realized something, waiting until her Papa had gone to put the dishes in the sink, "You said Papa and me are going…not you, Grandmother?" She asked quietly. Grandmother had always been the one to take her to the Asogi home. To be fair, that was because there wasn't anyone else, but still, the thought of going with someone new, even if it was her Papa, made Susato feel uneasy.
"No, dear," Her Grandmother replied, kneeling down with a soft groan, "I'm afraid I have some plans that can't wait today. But your Papa will make sure you get there safe and sound, don't worry. After all, he's friends with the Asogis too, so he knows the way. Besides, he has to stay the night as well to take care of something over there tomorrow. You'll be just fine," She assured the little girl, and Susato felt a tiny bit better about it, "Now," Her grandmother turned her around and gave her a gentle nudge, "Go on to your room and pack some clothes for spending the night, ok? You'll be leaving in about an hour or two," Susato nodded and did as she was told.
Soon after she got some clothes in her little bag, Susato scanned the room for else she may need or want to take. She took notice of her beloved plush rabbit, Mochi, who was laid right on her pillow. Of course! Susato needed her to keep the bad dreams away. The young girl gently tucked the toy into her bag, making sure she wasn't too squished. Did she need anything else? Hmm…
Her eyes landed on the music box, which sat on a small table next to her bed, and she perked up. She should take that too; it'd help her sleep and she really wanted to show it to Kazuma. Surely he'd like it too! She used both hands to carefully pick up the wooden toy, lifting it off the table and putting it next to her bag so she wouldn't forget it.
Since she still had some time to wait, Susato sat down against the wall and turned the crank on the side of the music box until it was wound tight. When she let go, the carousel began to spin and the notes flowed into the room. She hummed along, knowing the tune by heart by now. The little girl didn't think she'd ever get tired of it.
It certainly made Susato feel sleepy though; she grew so relaxed she almost nodded off! But a while later she jolted awake as she heard a noise…her name was being called. It must be time to go!
She got to her feet and with a bit of maneuvering, she managed to grab both of her belongings and made her way to the sitting room. Her bag dragged a bit on the floor she held the music box snugly under her other arm, careful not to squeeze too hard and crack it. After some effort, the young girl made it to where her Papa was waiting with a small pack of his own, "I'm ready, Papa," She told him cheerfully, though a bit out of breath.
"Oh, Susato," Papa said as he saw what she was carrying, "Why don't you let me carry those things for you, sweetie?" He held out his hands, but Susato held back, pouting a little.
"But…But I wanna carry them…I can do it…" She said quietly. She didn't want Papa to think she couldn't do it. The music box wasn't even heavy, it was just bulky! She could still carry it!
"I know you can, but it's ok to ask for help," He replied kindly, "Why don't I at least carry your bag, hm? Then you can have both hands on your music box!"
Susato thought about it; while the music box needed two hands to carry safely, it was light, and her bag was a bit heavier. So it seemed like Papa had the right idea! She nodded and, with a bit of maneuvering, handed the bag over, "Thank you, Papa," She said sweetly, "But be careful, please, Mochi is in there and she doesn't like to be shaked too much." She told him matter-of-factly.
"I'll be very gentle, honey, don't worry," Her father took the bag and carefully tucked it under his arm, "Ready to leave?" He asked, and Susato nodded eagerly, "Alright, off we go!"
It turned out that Susato didn't have to worry about carrying anything for a bit. They took a rickshaw for most of the way. She liked riding in them, they were fun! They traveled for quite a while, but eventually the rickshaw could go no further, and they had to get off and walk the rest of the way. That was fine, Susato had come here with her grandmother so many times that she could probably find her way to the Asogi home all by herself…but she didn't want to leave Papa all alone, of course, so she stuck close to him, clutching her music box to her chest as they walked down the road.
The music box wasn't really heavy at all, but Susato found the further they walked, the more tired her arms were growing. She tried not to let it show; Papa was busy trying to remember where to go, it seemed. He kept looking around with a bit of a sad look. Did he think they were lost? Susato wondered if she should show the way. She was just about to ask him, when her grip slipped, and the music box dropped to the ground!
It made a clattering noise as it hit the dirt and the little girl gasped in shock. Oh no, what had she done!? She stared down at the fallen object, a bit scared to pick it up. It didn't have far to fall, she wasn't very tall, but still, what if it was broken!?
"Oh dear," She looked up to see Papa looking down at what happened. He crouched to the ground, setting their bags to the side and reaching out to pick up the music box. He turned it around and Susato felt a lot better to see that it was still in one piece, if a bit dusty, "It looks alright," Papa assured her, "No need to worry."
"I…I dropped it…it slipped…" She whispered, looking down in shame. She felt her father rub her back comfortingly.
"Accidents happen, sweetie," He murmured, "You don't need to feel bad, it's ok." Susato nodded hesitantly; she still felt bad, but she guessed he was right. The man held out the music box for her to take. She could probably carry it again, but instead of taking it, she played with the hem of her sleeves shyly.
"C-Can you carry it the rest of the way, Papa?" She asked, "My arms are tired."
"Of course, my dear. I'm proud of you for asking for help," Papa praised her, and she smiled a little. He tucked the music box under one arm and picked their bags up off the ground, "Let's keep going, we should be there soon."
True to his word, they were soon on the main road leading up to the Asogi home. Susato didn't know how to tell the time yet, but the sun was high in the sky and she was growing a little hungry again; maybe it was close to lunchtime. Maybe Auntie would have some yummy food for them! Now that she wasn't carrying anything, she found herself skipping a little bit ahead, eager to get to their destination, but she made sure not to go too far.
They passed by a lot of familiar houses that Susato was used to by now. One yard had a funny rooster that sometimes came out to say hello; Kazuma didn't like it but Susato thought it was cute! It must be sleeping today, though, it didn't come out as she and Papa walked by. They were almost there now! They just had to pass one more house…huh?
Papa had stopped.
He was looking at the house they had passed. Did he think that was where they were going? That wasn't the Asogi home. Actually…Susato wasn't sure who lived there, if there was anyone at all. She thought she remembered Kazuma saying it was empty for now. Surely there had to be someone there though; it always looked so nice in the yard, at least, from what she could see. She'd never gone in before.
Papa looked…so sad. Why was he sad?
"Papa?" She asked quietly, and he jerked a little in surprise as she tugged on his sleeve, "Are you ok?"
"O-Oh! Yes, I'm fine, Susato, don't worry," He said with a smile, though it looked kinda sad anyway, "It's just…been a while since I've visited the area is all…a lot of memories here…" He murmured. Then he shook his head, "L-Let's go up and knock on the door. I'm sure the Asogis are waiting."
He ushered her away from the strange yard. Susato couldn't help but wonder what it was about it that had made him stop and stare for so long. Maybe she could find out later. For now, she couldn't help but look on excitedly as her father knocked on their friends' door. Today was going to be so much fun!