K: Bittersweet Flames

Chapter 28

The weekends have passed by quickly. The days were uneventful with their Father getting busy with work and holed himself up in his room. He would only leave his room when it was time to eat. Kaiyo would cook up the meals and leave them on the kitchen table before knocking on his door to inform him that food had been cooked.

Luck was on their side and Father ate the food without complaint since he was too busy with his work to care much about the taste.

Eventually, the first day of the week started and Monday rolled in.

And as the week was going by, not only was Kaiyo's finals exams coming in, there was another date slowly inching closer day by day. It was a day that gives both Kaiyo and Rimu mixed feelings of sorrow, sourness and fear all blended together in a bowl.

Kaiyo woke up to the feeling of someone pushing on her shoulder. She opened her eyes groggily and turned her head to notice Rimu standing behind her.

"... Rimu...?" She groaned. Her eyes looked towards the window. It was still dark out. "What time is it now...?"

Rimu sat at the edge of Kaiyo's bed instead of his own at the other side of the room. He looked towards the clock hanging on the wall. "It's only five in the morning. I'm sorry for waking you up this early. Father had left for work a few minutes ago. I thought you would like to know." Rimu informed her.

Kaiyo, who had just woken up and finally registered his words, jerked forward in a panic. "Wait, who? Now? No just now?"

Rimu waved his hands in front of him, indicating for her to calm down. "I was woken up by Father's knocking. You needed more sleep, so I didn't wake you up and sent him out myself. I told him that I would like to send him out today as a reason for your appearance not being there to greet him."

"What did he say?" Kaiyo immediately asked after his explanation.

Rimu looked away. "Nothing."

"... Rimu."

Rimu's head lowered. He seemed to be despondent.

Kaiyo's eyes which were wide open slowly closed themselves as she breathed out a breath. "Good that nothing serious happened."

Her words made Rimu stop breathing for a second before letting it out from his mouth. "... He said he didn't care who sent him out... Although it was to let you rest more... I really wanted to... hear him say..."

Kaiyo opened her eyes and stared at Rimu who had his shoulders slumped forward. She understood how he felt at the moment. She had hopes that her Father would turn for the better and not insisting on his own ideals and have the past mistakes, as the past.

--It was no one's fault.

--Because she was still a child when it happened and Rimu was...

Kaiyo opened up her arms and pulled Rimu into a hug. She felt his shoulders trembling; trying to hold back tears.

Once the same episode ended and Rimu apologised for waking her up despite only sleeping for less than three hours, Kaiyo waved it off as it was nothing.

Since they had already woken up, the two of them started fixing up their beds before heading off to freshen themselves up.

Tying her hair into a low ponytail, Kaiyo approached her Father's room with Rimu following behind with a tray and plastic bag in his hands. Opening the door, Kaiyo was greeted with the smell and sights of cigarettes and unwashed bowls left on the desk.

Her eyes scanned the room before a sigh escaped from her lips. "At least he didn't drink the last few days," said Kaiyo as she noticed the absence of the glass bottles, "I don't want to go over and get more of his favourite alcohol brand when there are still some cigarette packets left."