Who will be there for you?

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

Who: yattagarasu and OPEN
Where: The fringes of Azalea Town, but not too far out
When: Friday, September 10th, evening-ish (forward-dated because I won't be here tomorrow and I only remembered this date not too long ago!)
Summary: Kay goes to pay respects to the deceased in the only way she can. AS USUAL, action or prose is fine with me, whatever sails your boat.
Rating: PG-13 at most, probably
Log:

The drizzle was continuous, but not anything deterring, and most of her Pokémon were snug in their capsules with the promise to let Flapper out later and Prise curled in a little ball on her bed. He was too young to be much of a night owl, so she'd let him sleep in her room with Byrne keeping an eye on him. As loyal as the Murkrow was, he wasn't fond of staying out in the rain, light or not. And Kay... had other things to accomplish.

She hadn't forgotten. Sure, there were other things to deal with, but she hadn't forgotten one simple fact looming over her for the entire week, one she hadn't mentioned to anybody. Even Kay couldn't stay 100% cheerful in the face of loss, and to blithely remark on it had seemed pointless. Her friends would just worry. So she'd paid a visit to the Pokémart earlier on with the excuse of buying more supplies-- which she had, but she'd additionally found a package of chocolate Swiss Rolls. They weren't her old favorites, but they'd do. Azalea also had quite a few patches of flowers that she'd made use of to form a small bouquet, and with that, she had everything.

The soft, light patter of the drizzle was the only sound as the girl quietly made her way past the houses and small buildings. There weren't too many people outdoors right now, something she appreciated, and it wasn't long before she'd reached the outskirts, close to Route 33.

There wasn't a grave, a first-- but she'd expected that. Instead, Kay knelt down and placed the crude bouquet on the ground, backing up a few steps once one half of the package of Swiss Rolls had joined it. She stared at the ground for a few moments, then spoke quietly.

"Hi, Dad."

No response.

"Sorry I couldn't get away sooner, traffic was a mess." It was habit more than anything to joke, but Kay cleared her throat a few seconds later. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? And maybe you're wondering why I'm not at your grave like I usually am, but the thing is, I can't be at your grave right now. Your daughter's literally become a world traveler! A lot's changed in a year, but you know me, I couldn't just skip your anniversary in a different world! Even if it's... three months earlier than it would be back home. Maybe they'll let Uncle Badd out to come see you, at least."

She rocked back on her heels, already tuning out the drizzle and the damp chill of the evening in favor of amiably addressing the air. "You know... it took me seven years, but I found your killer. I learned a lot, maybe more than I wanted to, but we took care of the people responsible for your death, and they can't do that to anyone else any more. So I really hope you'll be able to rest in peace now. Mr. Edgeworth, Gummy, they helped me solve everything, and I owe them a lot. Not that I think Mr. Edgeworth's too happy about me following in your footsteps, but there's no way I'd let your work go unfinished! As for me..."

Kay trailed off, then smiled reminiscently. "I've met a lot of people here and made new friends. There's Byrne; he's a Murkrow, but he's the best partner anyone could have asked for. And the rest of the team, too. And Johan and Kaito and Juudai and Crow-- I think you'd like them! They're all amazing guys, and they've been looking out for me, even when I tell them they don't have to. Johan, especially, and if you were here, it would've been great if you could have used your Prosecutor Powers to make him sleep like a normal person! And there's people like Snow and Mr. Wright and Maya and Trucy and Uncle Smokey... Batty and Sora and Heather and Beat and Konata..." She laughed under her breath. "It feels kind of like a family here. Even with Mr. Edgeworth, and he's not even from my year!"

Silence reigned. She scuffed a foot in the mud and lowered her head.

"... I'm okay. I never wanted you to leave, and I didn't think you ever would, but it wasn't your choice, was it? I just never got the chance to say goodbye. I still think about that every day. But honestly? I know you wouldn't want me moping, and I'm sure you're still looking out for me, just like a hero would. And I'm not alone here. So, if anything, if I became even slightly like someone you could be proud of as a father, then that's good enough for me." She closed her eyes briefly, uttering only one sentence before she fell silent.

"Happy Anniversary, Dad."

Comments

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

As Snow listened to her talking about her dad, he thought about how different but also how similar their two worlds were, from what he'd learned so far from Kay and Franziska. But one thing was loud and clear in his mind--'get bad people found guilty'. That's what Franziska and her dad did, too. It seemed like a hell of a lot of people were after the bad guys. Or... "bad guys". He had no idea what her world's standards were, but by his? He was one of the bad guys. A l'Cie. He could see them hating the Cie'th (those were the monsters l'Cie turned into once they failed), but l'Cie were.... well, they were just normal folks. Plus magic, of course, and a big shiny tattoo on their arm.

Like the one he had. But it meant nothing, here. It had been both a shock and a relief to discover that. Nobody cared what he was. L'Cie ment nothing, here.

Kay's dad--she'd said he was her hero. And whether or not he really did put genuine bad guys away (which she seemed positive that he did), 'hero' was definitely something he could appreciate.

"He sounds like a real great guy."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

That got a brighter smile from the shorter of the two, followed by a firm nod. "He was." Not is, she had to remind herself, though she'd always believe that no matter where he was, even if he was dead, her father had been and always would be "a real great guy". Nothing could have convinced her otherwise.

"I bet he would've liked you," Kay went on thoughtfully. "No, I know he would have liked you." After all the looking out for her that Snow had done, not to mention him being a hero himself, she was sure of it.

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

At her bold assumption, he tilted his head (which caused the rainwater to drip across his face at an odd angle, but he didn't seem to care), gazing down at her as if not sure what to make of that.

Then, with a slight shake of his head, he offered, "Thanks, but I'm not so sure. Back home, I... Well, I was one of the folks he'd be trying to put away." He said it casually enough, so it wasn't as if he sounded upset, but it still wasn't the best confession in the world.

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

Now that she hadn't seen coming, evidenced by the baffled look on her face when she looked at Snow... almost as if she wasn't entirely sure whether he was being serious or not. He didn't look as though he was about to crack a grin, though.

So instead of the instant stream of heated denials that were just waiting to be released, she instead asked, "What do you mean?"

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

"What do you mean, 'what do I mean'?" After a second he shrugged. "Back home, Light, Hope and I... We're not exactly the good guys."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

Kay tilted her head, either not understanding at all or not wanting to. She didn't know who this "Hope" person was, but she'd met Lightning, and she knew Snow.

"So does that mean you pillaged and plundered and burned things to the ground and killed people without remorse?" came the question, though the images that brought to mind made her think more of pirates than anything.

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

Well, I mean... Not innocents." He wiped a drip of rain away from the bridge of his nose as he figured out how to explain. "Just... y'know, the authorities and stuff."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

"..." Obviously she hardly knew anything about his world, and his authorities were probably different from her authorities. That a thief even had ties to her authorities was an unusual scenario as it was, but the authorities Kay knew weren't the typical ones anyway.

She slowly lowered her head until her chin was resting on Thundara's drying head. "Why the authorities?"

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

"The Purge." He let the name sink in a little before he explained. "PSICOM wanted to make sure people would quit freaking out about the l'Cie, so they shipped anyone who'd had contact with them out into Pulse. Pulse is..." He paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's got monsters out there with feet bigger around than you are tall. Sending folks out there... They don't stand a chance."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

There were quite a few things that went right over her head, like "PSICOM" and "l'Cie", but once he'd explained what Pulse was, Kay got the gist of what he was trying to explain. She thought she did, anyway.

"You mean, just because people were scared, they sent a bunch of innocent people to their deaths? That's..." She trailed off, eyebrows knitting together in a fierce frown. Unfair? Awful? Hadn't her father felt the same way about the people who evaded the law?

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

"I mean, it's logical. What's sacrificing one little beach town, compared to dealing with mass hysteria?" He shook his head, though. "But you're right. It's stupid. Those are lives. So... we figured, we had to stop them."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

"It doesn't matter if it's for somebody's well-being..." Kay was scowling now; if there was one thing she was instantly passionate about, it was this. "You should never steal a life, let alone more than one. I'd want to stop them, too." After a pause, she added sincerely, "And my dad would have agreed with that."

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

That should've cheered him up, he knew. But at the same time... "You're sure he would've? Even if I had to-... well, even if I had to steal a few lives to save them?"

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

That quieted her, and not just because Kay was one of the most moralistic thieves anyone who'd ever met her would probably meet in their lifetime. She knew she would never take a life, and she'd felt strongly about that for years. But Snow... his dilemma was more in the gray area. She didn't approve of anyone stealing a life, but...

She hadn't told him this, but now was a good a time as any, and she lifted her head to look at him directly. "Sometimes to do the right thing, you have to step outside of the law, because it can't always protect the people who need protecting, and it can't stop the people who need stopping. My father realized this, like you did. He just went about it a different way." And she knew Uncle Badd had killed people, but as a homicide detective, that was a given. Always in self-defense, though.

"You said 'had'," she added quietly. "So I don't think you would have done that if you hadn't had to. I just wouldn't be able to do it."

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

Snow listened to both her confession and her vote of faith. After a second, he stepped from where he stood behind her to crouch on one knee beside her, umbrella still entirely over her head of course. Now that they were talking quieter, the change in proximity kind of made sense.

"You won't have to. Ever. Especially if I've got any say in it."

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

Well, that made her feel a lot less short, but only by a small margin. Not being one to take height into much consideration in the first place, unless people tried rubbing it in, she didn't so much as dwell on it, only managed a smile at Snow's comment.

"Don't forget my say, too. And it says..." Kay nodded decisively-- mostly to herself. "With your say and my say combined, I'm definitely never stealing anybody's life."

[savethefarron.livejournal.com]

He grinned, though just for a second, glad that they were agreeing for once on such matters as him playing hero (in this case, him making sure she never has to kill someone. Not that those sorts of issues happen here at all, really).

And now, he decided, it was time for a lighter topic.

"You told me about your dad," he started, leading into his next question. "Got any siblings? Close aunts or uncles?" He wasn't gonna ask about her mom. He figured that might be one of those topics, since all she'd mentioned thus far had been her dad.

[yattagarasu.livejournal.com]

"No siblings," she responded easily. "Though I did always want a brother, but my father liked to joke that I was more than enough kid to have any more than that." It would have made waiting for his trials to finish a lot less boring, though, but they'd been fairly interesting for a little girl. Even if she hadn't always understood what was going on at the time until Byrne patiently explained the proceedings to her.

"I was raised by my mother's relatives... after." Kay didn't even falter, though her smile turned bittersweet. "But I wasn't that close to any of them. I did have Uncle Badd, though! He wasn't my real uncle, but he was around since I was born, and so he's family! I guess he was scary-looking to a lot of people, but I thought he was cool." She didn't like the idea of him being in jail now, but he'd accepted that fate. She had to risk that, too, following his (and her father's) path.