Chapter Text
Namine wonders.
What sort of sound it made, when the car crushed her face? Was it a crunch? A squish? A splurt?
Perhaps a combination?
She doesn’t remember her old name, but when her new mother smiles down at her and kisses her chubby cheeks and her tiny fingers, she remembers that the blurry faces that had given birth to her before mom had not been nearly this affectionate.
And when she uses all her strength to lift her arms and touch Mom’s face, smiling a gummy smile, she remembers loving a younger brother. A brother that ended up resenting her for parenting where she was not a parent. A brother that desired the love of his parents, unattainable as it was, and lashed out at the only one it was safe to.
Namine cries and Mom softly hushes and sings her to sleep.
Her first words are “I love you”. Maybe not in any language Mom would understand, but it is meant deeply and Namine makes sure she understands it.
“Mom! Mom! Look!” Namine excitedly ran to her mother pulling her by the hand towards the treasure she’d found.
“Woah, how nice! I think my grandmother had one of those.”
“Are you interested in that Shamisen?” A middle aged lady approached to lay down a few more things on the cloth where the instrument rested along with plenty of neatly folded clothes.
“YES PLEASE!” she shouted.
“Inside voice darling.”
“Yes please.” she whispered.
“Pfft!”
“Ahahah, how cute!” the woman remarked to her mother. “Do you enjoy music?”
“Mmmh, I’ll admit I’m more of a book person myself but my little princess well, she was practically singing from birth.”
The two women made idle talk as Namine (with permission) plucked experimentally at the cords with the bachi.
Uh.
There was obviously no muscle memory, and there was quite a difference between a ukulele or a guitar and a shamizen but…
Namine hummed trying to remember a melody. Then she started over, trying to match the instrument’s sound with the humming. Then again. Again.
“Oh my…”
She turned around, flushing when she saw the two women had paused their conversation to stare.
“I think your daughter has a gift, Kaigara-san.”
“Hum… yeah… It seems like it.” her mother replied, looking somewhat stunned. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s been playing for years.”
“R-really?”
“Hmhmm! You have a real talent young lady.” the woman praised. “You can keep it if you want. It was my late sister’s but I’d rather see someone make good use of it than leave it to catch dust. Consider it payment for the show.”
“YES! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!”
“Inside voice Namine.”
“Thank youuuuu!” she whisper-squealed, throwing her arms around the lady who laughed again at her enthusiasm.
The two of them waved goodbye to the kind lady, promising to take good care of the instrument, and took off.
“You really are excited about this, aren’t you?” her mom smiled softly at her and Namine nodded enthusiastically.
“I’m gonna be a musical legend! Believe it!”
“Ah well, in that case I suppose we’ll have to pick up another instrument once your calligraphy is up to standards.”
GASP!
“REALLY?! YES YES YES!”
“Moooooom <3” She called in a particularly kiss-ass tone.
“Yeeeeesss?”
“Looksies here!” she said shoving rocks with carved seals onto her mother’s lap.
“Hmm… And they work?”
“Yep! I put our leftovers in there!”
“And your transformation jutsu?”
“Behold!” Namine performed the correct hand signs before turning into a squirrel in a puff of smoke. She climbed up to Mom’s shoulder, allowing her to feel that the transformation was complete and not just an illusion then jumped off, transforming back into her normal form.
“See? See? I did it, believe it!”
“I sure saw,” Mom grinned. “I think that deserves a reward. So what do you want, cough it out.”
Namine grinned back. “I waaaaant aaaaaa… Shinobue!”
“A flute eh? That’ll be cheaper than the koto. All right, next one I want a body modification seal (please don’t test in my absence). Think you’re up for that?”
“Believe it! I’m gonna do all those challenges soooo fast I’m gonna empty your purse!”
“... You can be kind of a brat sometimes, ya know.”
“Eheheh. Just kidding! I’m so good I’ll be rich in no time and then I’ll buy you a castle!”
“How humble, ahah! Will there be a private onsen?”
“And a big kitchen for ramen AND a theater for music! With a big library for grandpa and grandma’s books!”
“I look forward to it, princess.”
Namine allowed herself to be cuddled, eagerly returning it.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Namine loudly smooched her mother’s cheek and stepped away with a twirl to pull a gift from behind her back.
“For you Mother Dearest <3”
Proudly presented in her hands was a small box that Mom grabbed with care, leaving a tender kiss on her forehead in exchange.
“Thank you my princess.” she smiled.
“Go on, open it! You’re gonna love it, believe it!”
“Well I don’t know… I wouldn't want to damage such a pretty box…”
“Moooooooooooom!” she whined
“Ahah, I’m just messing, ya know!” And she opened it.
Inside was a stone pendant, carved and polished into a tear shape. Also carved into it, was an assemblage of symbols that, while she could decipher individually, she could not interpret the seal as a whole.
“Use it.” Namine prompted impatiently. And so Kaigara did.
She listened, confused for a moment but promptly melted when she realized.
“Oh Namine…” Kaigara teared up. Her little princess invented a recording seal all by herself and wrote a song that she could carry everywhere.
Namine couldn’t help but flush at the reaction.
“So. Do you like it?”
“Oh my princess, I love it! What did I do to deserve such a lovely daughter?” She hugged her tight, peppering kisses all over her face.
“I could say the same thing! Hey! Hey! Stop kissing me, I’m supposed to pamper you, not the other way around!”
Kaigara giggled but stopped with her assault. “I love you my little Namine.”
Namine sighed in happiness, cuddling up to her mother.
“I love you too. Thank you for being my mom.”