caughtinanetwork | 17 | dream video: setting moon

[ Kohaku's dream is set in the back yard of a small house. There are a few backyard toys littered around the area, though they're left ignored for the time being. There's a familiar female voice counting down backwards somewhere. She reaches the final number and turns around. If it weren't obvious before, it's obvious now; the woman doing the counting was Kohaku.

She's got a different set of clothes on; a short-sleeved shirt, a long skirt, and a half-apron. Her hair is pulled back into a single ponytail instead of the usual low pigtails she usually wears. She looks as though she had been doing some work around the house prior to this event, and she's a little weary ... but she looks happy, otherwise. ]

Ready or not, Here I come!

[ She calls out, loud enough for anyone else in the area to hear. There's the sound of a small giggle coming from an area to the left, but Kohaku only smiles and pretends not to hear it. ]

Let's see ...

[ She puts on a small act of looking in all the wrong places. ]

Where, oh where could my Dona and Iola be?

[ There's the sound of young girls giggling from areas on both sides of the backyard now. She knew exactly where they were. She was just going to drag this out a little longer, for their sakes. ]

Nope, not here ...

[ She checks in another place. ]

Not here, either ... you girls are so good at this game!

[ She starts heading over toward one of the places where she knew one of the girls were hiding. A tiny little girl, a brunette with amethyst eyes, clamps her hands over her mouth as Kohaku approaches. ]

I wonder what's over heeeere .... Aha!

[ The young girl, Iola, squeaks a little and darts out from her hiding place, laughing as she runs away from Kohaku, who laughs with her and promptly chases her around the backyard. ]

Dona! Dona, help! Mama found me!

[ At the call of her twin sister, Dona pokes her head out from behind a tree on the other side and giggles at the sight, rushing over to be a distraction. It "works": Kohaku intentionally pulls her attention on her other daughter, now, who had her black hair and her father's gray eyes. Kohaku laughs a little more, then finally manages to succeed in grabbing Dona and hugging her tightly. ]

Gotcha!

Eee! Sissy, run awaaay!

Nooo, Dona!

[ Kohaku reaches out and grabs Iola's hand just as she tries to run away again, pulling her other daughter close and hugging them both. ]

Mama wins again ~

Let's play again! Mama, can you be it again?

I don't see why not!

[ She lets go of both of them. ]

Go hide, I'll go count.

[ With that, both girls, no older than six, go to hide again. Kohaku returns to her counting place, covering her eyes and beginning to count down from 10 again ... ]

( ooc: Leaving it open-ended! If you want to have your character interact with Kohaku in her dream (hide and seek, anybody?), please specify that in your subject header. If you're interacting with her via SFC (or action, in some cases), please specify that, too. )

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[ She looks at him quietly for a few moments, a sad look overtaking her features ... after all he's been through lately, he deserves some happy times, right? Kohaku takes his hands and tugs him toward the backyard. ]

Come on. I'm sure the girls would want to meet their Uncle Rin.

[ Besides ... when would they ever get a chance like this again? ]

[The second he starts getting pulled, he also starts protesting and trying to resist, but dream or not he doesn't want to yank away and possibly hurt her.]

What-- n-no, I shouldn't--... Kohaku I don't belong here!

[ She's getting in your face now. ]

Rin Okumura! This is my dream. And in the future I want, you are absolutely a part of it!

[ Kohaku looks at him sternly. ]

Blood related or not, you're my baby brother, and you should be able to meet your nieces. Even if this is a dream.

[He can do stubborn too, Kohaku. Though his expression is more worried than stern or angry.]

It's a dream in your world. I already screwed up by showin' up in Roxas' dream, I don't wanna screw yours up, too!

... I can't... be a part of your world, Kohaku... it's not gonna work that way and you know it.

[ She's still stern as she listens to him. Her expression softens soon afterward. She squeezes his hands. ]

If ... this dream is screwed up at all by having you there ... then I'll deal with that. It would be my fault, not yours.

[ There are tears in her eyes as she keeps talking. ]

I know that, when we go back to our own worlds, we're going to forget each other, as much as we don't want to. For now, though, we're here, and I know who you are, and I really want you to meet the girls.

I--...

[He doesn't want to mess this up. She has a future - dream or not he can see that. And his is still as uncertain as ever; a fact he tries so very hard to ignore, but knows that when he goes back he'll have to pass or face the chopping block.

And forget about having a family...

But it's hard to say to her, especially when she's looking at him like that.]

... okay...

[ She's happy that he's finally stopped struggling against the idea, and is now dragging him over to where the girls are, out of their hiding places, and standing together. They both stare up at the newcomer with wide eyes. ]

Girls, this is Uncle Rin. He's a very good friend of Mommy and Daddy's.

[And Rin just... stares back. Children. What do.]

Uh. Hi.

[ The girls both wave at him, then Iola, the tactless twin, looks around and moves to his tail, poking at it a little. ]

Why do you have a tail, Uncle Rin?

Iola! That's not polite ...

[ Kohaku is totally not stopping this. ]

[The tail twitches away.]

I just do.

Were you born with it?

[ Iola's trying to chase the evasive tail now. ]

Iola, Uncle Rin doesn't want his tail to be touched.

Uhm... yeah, actually.

[Technically not a lie - he did have it at birth, it just went away when his powers were sealed. Same with the ears and teeth.]

Wh-- hey, your mom's right, I don't like it bein' touched.

[Unless your last name is Albarn.]

[ Kohaku pulls Iola back and holds her hand to keep her out of trouble. ]

Iola, hands off.

[ Iola pouts a little. Dona blinks up at Rin from behind her mom. ]

Uncle Rin, you're tall ...

Well, yeah... people get taller as they get older.

[And future dream or not, Rin is still seventeen.]

Uncle Rin has been taller than Mommy for a long time.

[ She says as she pets Dona's hair with her other hand, smiling over at Rin. Dona's eyes widened. ]

Ouuuhh .... I think Uncle Rin is taller than Daddy!

Yes, dear. He is.

Do you know Daddy too, Uncle Rin?

Shing? Yeah, I know him.

Mama, Uncle Rin knows Daddy!

Yes dear, I know.

Mama, why don't we have tails?

Because Mommy and Daddy don't have tails.

Uncle Rin, are you friends with Daddy like you're friends with Mama?

["Uncle" Rin? Ugh, god, don't do that to his heart, girls.]

Y... yeah, 'course...

[ At this point, Dona slowly comes out from behind her mother and holds her arms up toward him. ]

Can I have a hug?

... a hug... ? Really?

[Rin looks uncertainly at Kohaku.]

[ She looks to him and nods. She was sure that he would be able to hug her. Dona, meanwhile, looks up at Rin with puppy dog eyes. ]

... yeah, sure. Okay.

[y u do dis small child]

[ With that confirmation, Dona's eyes light up and she moves over quickly to wrap her tiny little arms around Rin. Iola sees this and wants some Uncle Rin hugs too, so she moves over to his other side and hugs him.

Kohaku, meanwhile, is just gonna stand here and smile at this. ]

[Rin doesn't say anything, but he does accept the hugs. Dream or not, it's still kind of awesome that he'd have a family of sorts with Kohaku. It's still sad that they'll probably never see each other after they leave Vatheon, but it does give him a tiny bit of hope that maybe there was a chance, out there somewhere...]

17 | dream video: setting moon

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