For the Future - Birthday Fic for Mari!

[Sol]

Night had fallen upon the town of Akihara, the moon shining down upon the buildings and the cold wind howling throughout the silent streets. In one house sat a brown haired woman, sitting on the couch as she looked at one picture in her hands. She sobbed quietly as she stared at it, her tears hitting the picture and running down the surface of it. The picture depicted a man and herself, each holding a baby boy in their arms. The man also had brown hair and was wearing glasses, while the two boys also had brown hair, they also looked alike. They were twins.

Somehow, just thinking of that made the woman sob harder. As she looked at the baby in her arms in the photograph, she cried at how unfair the world was. In a cruel twist of fate, the baby she had held only a few months ago was taken by a previously incurable disease. All those months ago, when the baby laid dying in her arms, and she was powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile, the surviving twin slept happily in his crib upstairs, unaware of his mother's sorrow.

Suddenly, the door open and shut again, making the woman look up. She gasped as she looked upon her husband, who was shrugging off his overcoat and hanging it on the coat rack. "Yuuichirou!" she cried softly, the tears still making their way down her face.

Yuuichirou looked at his wife and his eyes softened. "Haruka...are you thinking about Saito again?" he asked softly, walking over to his wife. Haruka sniffed and nodded, putting the picture down on the table again.

"It's only been three months since Saito passed away, Yuuichirou, but..." she said, holding back a sob; "It still feels like yesterday that he died. I can still feel his warm body against mine, hooked up to all those monitors, his little face smiling up at me..." At this point, Haruka couldn't contain herself anymore and burst into loud wails, sobbing heavily into her hands.

Yuuichirou merely embraced her, holding her head to his chest. "I know...I know." he whispered into her ear as she cried into his chest. After a few minutes, the sobs seemed to subside as Haruka looked up at her husband, still teary eyed.

"It's hard;" she whispered, wiping her eyes. "It's hard coping with the fact that he's not alive anymore," she said shakily, "It's unfair...it's unfair that he was taken from us when he really didn't get to live yet!" Haruka said bitterly.

Yuuichirou solemnly nodded. "Indeed, it's cruel. Out of everyone, why did Saito have to be diagnosed with the disease?" he asked as he slowly broke the embrace and sat down on the couch, a weary expression on his face.

"I don't know, but I do know one thing;" Haruka said as she sat down as well and took the picture into her trembling hands, "I want Saito back."

Yuuichirou closed his eyes and made a small nod, more to himself then to his wife. "I see then..." he muttered as he got up and went to his briefcase. Opening it, he digged through it before pulling out several documents and walking back over to his wife. Taking a deep breath, he handed them over to his confused wife, who glanced at it curiously. "This is what I've been doing at the labs for the last couple of months. It's the reason I haven't been home as much, so...I'm sorry for almost ignoring you in favor of this."

Haruka, still confused, turned her attention back to the document and started to read it thoroughly. She continued reading for a few minutes before gasping in shock and dropping the papers to the floor. "Y-Yuuichirou! You can't be serious! How is this even possible?!" she gasped out, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to calm down.

The scientist sighed. "First off, it is possible. I've looked into it extensively for several months, and everyone who has worked with me agrees that it can be done;" he said before sitting down again, his face looking aged and worn. "And...yes, I am serious. I do intend on doing this."

"But Yuuichirou!" Haruka protested, leaning in closer, "Thank about what you're going to do! From someone else's point of view, they'll think that you're trying to play god! It's unethical!"

Yuuichirou narrowed his eyes, scoffing a bit. "I'm too determined to care about whether this is ethical or not;" he said simply, "I want my son back, and nothing is going to stop me."

Haruka's eyes softened. "Is this why you've been burying yourself in work? Just so you can get our son back?" she asked softly? Yuuichirou nodded, looking up at her.

"It hurts to know that we couldn't do anything as he lay dying..." he murmured, standing up and hugging Haruka again; "But I intend to change that. I want to use whatever knowledge I have to save him."

"Yuuichirou..." Haruka whispered as some more tears ran down her cheeks. The scientist smiled sadly and gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"If this does succeed, he won't truly be Saito anymore;" Yuuichirou murmured into her ear, "However, he will still be alive inside the net navigator program. He will still be with us, even if we cannot touch him anymore."

Haruka closed her eyes and leaned against her husband's chest. "As long as he's alive...just as long as I can see and hear him, then I'll be happy." she said while smiling. Yuuichirou gently smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it will work." he assured her and hugged her tightly to his body. Haruka sniffed a little bit and nodded before looking at him with a curious gaze.

"What are we going to tell Netto?" she asked, "In the future, he's inevitably going to ask about Saito, isn't he?"

Yuuichirou grimaced. "Haruka, please don't take this the wrong way, but...I don't want Netto knowing anything about Saito." he said seriously.

Haruka frowned. "Why? Shouldn't he have the right to know about his twin brother?" she asked indignantly. Yuuichirou shook his head.

"I just want to spare Netto the pain of knowing he had a twin that he never knew anything about," he said, "And if everything goes well...I plan on giving the navigator to Netto when he grows older."

Haruka looked shocked. "You're planning on having Netto operate Saito?" she asked in surprise. The scientist nodded.

"Yes. Not only would he still be with us, but he would watch over Netto as well as he grows older," he explained. "But if Netto ever found out that the program he was given was actually his older brother, then he would never send him into battle or do anything...that's why I don't want him knowing."

"I see..." Haruka murmured. "If that's what you plan to do, then I'll help..."

"Thank you..." Yuuichirou murmured as he leaned down to kiss her gently. When the kiss broke off, Haruka looked back up ate her husband.

"What is going to be the name of the navigator?" she asked gently. Yuuichirou smiled back.

"His name will be Rockman."

---

Surprise! Happy Birthday, Mari! *cue fireworks*
_________________


<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Sol]

Night had fallen upon the town of Akihara, the moon shining down upon the buildings and the cold wind howling throughout the silent streets. In one house sat a brown haired woman, sitting on the couch as she looked at one picture in her hands. She sobbed quietly as she stared at it, her tears hitting the picture and running down the surface of it. The picture depicted a man and herself, each holding a baby boy in their arms. The man also had brown hair and was wearing glasses, while the two boys also had brown hair, they also looked alike. They were twins.

Somehow, just thinking of that made the woman sob harder. As she looked at the baby in her arms in the photograph, she cried at how unfair the world was. In a cruel twist of fate, the baby she had held only a few months ago was taken by a previously incurable disease. All those months ago, when the baby laid dying in her arms, and she was powerless to do anything about it. Meanwhile, the surviving twin slept happily in his crib upstairs, unaware of his mother's sorrow.

Suddenly, the door open and shut again, making the woman look up. She gasped as she looked upon her husband, who was shrugging off his overcoat and hanging it on the coat rack. "Yuuichirou!" she cried softly, the tears still making their way down her face.

Yuuichirou looked at his wife and his eyes softened. "Haruka...are you thinking about Saito again?" he asked softly, walking over to his wife. Haruka sniffed and nodded, putting the picture down on the table again.

"It's only been three months since Saito passed away, Yuuichirou, but..." she said, holding back a sob; "It still feels like yesterday that he died. I can still feel his warm body against mine, hooked up to all those monitors, his little face smiling up at me..." At this point, Haruka couldn't contain herself anymore and burst into loud wails, sobbing heavily into her hands.

Yuuichirou merely embraced her, holding her head to his chest. "I know...I know." he whispered into her ear as she cried into his chest. After a few minutes, the sobs seemed to subside as Haruka looked up at her husband, still teary eyed.

"It's hard;" she whispered, wiping her eyes. "It's hard coping with the fact that he's not alive anymore," she said shakily, "It's unfair...it's unfair that he was taken from us when he really didn't get to live yet!" Haruka said bitterly.

Yuuichirou solemnly nodded. "Indeed, it's cruel. Out of everyone, why did Saito have to be diagnosed with the disease?" he asked as he slowly broke the embrace and sat down on the couch, a weary expression on his face.

"I don't know, but I do know one thing;" Haruka said as she sat down as well and took the picture into her trembling hands, "I want Saito back."

Yuuichirou closed his eyes and made a small nod, more to himself then to his wife. "I see then..." he muttered as he got up and went to his briefcase. Opening it, he digged through it before pulling out several documents and walking back over to his wife. Taking a deep breath, he handed them over to his confused wife, who glanced at it curiously. "This is what I've been doing at the labs for the last couple of months. It's the reason I haven't been home as much, so...I'm sorry for almost ignoring you in favor of this."

Haruka, still confused, turned her attention back to the document and started to read it thoroughly. She continued reading for a few minutes before gasping in shock and dropping the papers to the floor. "Y-Yuuichirou! You can't be serious! How is this even possible?!" she gasped out, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to calm down.

The scientist sighed. "First off, it is possible. I've looked into it extensively for several months, and everyone who has worked with me agrees that it can be done;" he said before sitting down again, his face looking aged and worn. "And...yes, I am serious. I do intend on doing this."

"But Yuuichirou!" Haruka protested, leaning in closer, "Thank about what you're going to do! From someone else's point of view, they'll think that you're trying to play god! It's unethical!"

Yuuichirou narrowed his eyes, scoffing a bit. "I'm too determined to care about whether this is ethical or not;" he said simply, "I want my son back, and nothing is going to stop me."

Haruka's eyes softened. "Is this why you've been burying yourself in work? Just so you can get our son back?" she asked softly? Yuuichirou nodded, looking up at her.

"It hurts to know that we couldn't do anything as he lay dying..." he murmured, standing up and hugging Haruka again; "But I intend to change that. I want to use whatever knowledge I have to save him."

"Yuuichirou..." Haruka whispered as some more tears ran down her cheeks. The scientist smiled sadly and gently wiped them away with his thumb.

"If this does succeed, he won't truly be Saito anymore;" Yuuichirou murmured into her ear, "However, he will still be alive inside the net navigator program. He will still be with us, even if we cannot touch him anymore."

Haruka closed her eyes and leaned against her husband's chest. "As long as he's alive...just as long as I can see and hear him, then I'll be happy." she said while smiling. Yuuichirou gently smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it will work." he assured her and hugged her tightly to his body. Haruka sniffed a little bit and nodded before looking at him with a curious gaze.

"What are we going to tell Netto?" she asked, "In the future, he's inevitably going to ask about Saito, isn't he?"

Yuuichirou grimaced. "Haruka, please don't take this the wrong way, but...I don't want Netto knowing anything about Saito." he said seriously.

Haruka frowned. "Why? Shouldn't he have the right to know about his twin brother?" she asked indignantly. Yuuichirou shook his head.

"I just want to spare Netto the pain of knowing he had a twin that he never knew anything about," he said, "And if everything goes well...I plan on giving the navigator to Netto when he grows older."

Haruka looked shocked. "You're planning on having Netto operate Saito?" she asked in surprise. The scientist nodded.

"Yes. Not only would he still be with us, but he would watch over Netto as well as he grows older," he explained. "But if Netto ever found out that the program he was given was actually his older brother, then he would never send him into battle or do anything...that's why I don't want him knowing."

"I see..." Haruka murmured. "If that's what you plan to do, then I'll help..."

"Thank you..." Yuuichirou murmured as he leaned down to kiss her gently. When the kiss broke off, Haruka looked back up ate her husband.

"What is going to be the name of the navigator?" she asked gently. Yuuichirou smiled back.

"His name will be Rockman."

---

Surprise! Happy Birthday, Mari! *cue fireworks*
_________________


<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Mari]

Aww, thank you! That was a lovely piece, and an interesting point of view on the Hikari Saito storyline. And a pre-exe to top! Whoot.

Thanks again. You did a remarkable job on this. *hugs*
_________________

Currently fangirling Edgy Eft and mplayer1.0RC1 -- firefox 2 is just okay, those are pure awesome.

[Mari]

Aww, thank you! That was a lovely piece, and an interesting point of view on the Hikari Saito storyline. And a pre-exe to top! Whoot.

Thanks again. You did a remarkable job on this. *hugs*
_________________

Currently fangirling Edgy Eft and mplayer1.0RC1 -- firefox 2 is just okay, those are pure awesome.

[Midnight]

Very lovely indeed.

This was another rather nice piece, about a time that not many writers look into. You did a good job capturing the miasma surrounding the family and the depression brought about by Saito's death...though I felt that it was a tad on the short side. Although the emtions brought upon were charged, they seemed to be spread over too short a time to sink in.

Otherwise, this was quite beautiful, and it has Mari's stamp of approval, so you did well.
_________________
Today, these three players are after Big Bucks! But they'll have to avoid the Whammy, as they play the most exciting game of their lives! From Television City in Hollywood! It's time to 'Press Your Luck!'--Rod Roddy

The Kingdom of Loathing: An Adventurer is You! // I ♣ Seals

Avatar by Spork. I very much appreciate it! <3

[Kitty-Chan]

Oh, this is inspiring.
_________________
Need more Zero/X, Netto/Rock, Rock/Netto, Forte/Netto, & Blues/Netto. PLEASE!
Ano sa...could someone please make me a Zero/X, Blues/Netto, or Forte/Netto avatar/banner? I would greatly appreciate it...
Thanks for the avatar, Mandi!
People! We need more Blues/Netto & Forte/Netto on the net. Come on; help me out here! *gives everyone her Super-Adorable Irrisistable Sad Kitty Eyes(TM)*