Cutscene: Listen
Who: Yuuka Chiba, Akinobu Chiba(NPC), Usagi Chiba(NPC)
When: Friday March 20th, 2010
Where: Chiba Home - Tatsumi Port Island - Japan
Soundtrack Song: Listen - Charice
Yuuka takes a deep breath, watching the front door to her family home. She opens it quietly, thankful for the fact that it doesn't creak, evening and darkness beginning to fall in Port Island. She takes her shoes off in the front entrance, walking through in her bare feet, coming across her father in the living room, sitting in his armchair, a paper in his hands. He looks up, and she looks back at him. Many things pass between them. Anger. Pain. Sadness. Oppression. Yuuka hesitates, and looks back between him and the front door, taking a step back towards it --
"Yuuka-san--" Akinobu Chiba starts, but she cuts him off at the sound of his voice sudden in the silence. Whether she does it do to fright, or pain, "Daddy, /listen/...."
Emerald eyes lock on black ones, a lean, weathered face glancing on a rounded heart-shaped one. A soft, sweet soprano fills the air, anger and sadness cut through the tone. "Oh, now I'm done, believing you, you don't know what I'm feeling -" Memories flash in both of their eyes, of him telling her to study, to take a class, especially one to be a good girl, a more recent one of her screaming, face flushed red. "I'm more than what - you made of me-" She seeks redemption in those dark black eyes, redemption of one that has more than just family, but friends, people that love and respect her. Her grades are high, she's proving the tuition payment, she's proving that everything he's pushed her towards she's achieved in her own way, just not the way he wanted."I followed the voice you gave to me-eee...." Especially the voice, as it rings through the air, emerald eyes watering, tears dripping down her face. "But now I gotta find my own..." She entreats the man in front of her.
Two fingers, calloused, press against her lips. Yuuka stammers into silence, as the normally conserved father she has has never /ever/ done anything like that. Her head tilts up, watching his black eyes, even as his fingers move, wiping the tears off of her cheeks, brushing back one of her bangs. She stares at him, for all she's been his youngest, he's never outwardly shown his fatherly side, blinking back further rushes of tears at the gentle actions.
"D-daddy...?" She asks, her voice quavering, hating herself for it.
"I'm listening." He whispers softly to her, his hand still on her cheek. It's like a moment in time. "You've grown up, my youngest one. I see that now. You can't be Risa; I forgot about that, trying to push you past your limits. I ... am pushing you one last time, though."
Yuuka freezes, but she's shuddering faintly, almost in cold, her body tense. "... how?"
"If Shiori-san is moving out, then so can you. I release you from the nest, my little mocking-jay." Akinobus' voice is still soft, still that whisper.
"W-what...?" Yuuka stutters. "D-daddy, I thought - your -- daddy... please...?"
"Be free, my daughter. Remember to come check in with us every so often."
Akinobu removes his hand, and walks away from Yuuka from where she's standing in the Chiba house. She places the back of her hand to her mouth, and leans against the wall, sinking to the floor as silence and shadows walk over her small frame.
"... daddy." She whispers softly. Something didn't go right... but what...?
