Chapter Text
Tsurin kicks his feet happily on the small stool he sits on. “Mama!” He calls, lighting up when the door creaks open. A woman stands there, a gentle smile on her face as she looks upon her small son.
“Hey, my little Tsunami.” Tsurin’s Mom softly greets, brushing away his hair that fell into his face. She gently pulls him a little closer, giving a quick peck on his forehead. Tsurin seems to get a little brighter at that little affectionate gesture from his mother.
“Mama, am I a big boy now?” Tilting his head up, he gazes at his mother with a tilted head. His mother chuckles, and ruffles his hair gently.
“You are. You’re a big boy now.” She says, giggling at how Tsurin puffs out his chest in pride with a big grin. Tsurin hops off of the simple wooden chair, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
“Mhm! I’m now… 8! Big number, it uses both my hands!” Giggling, he dashes past his mother into his closet. His mother, with a soft smile, walks after him. Inside the closet, there were many outfits, most of them simple colours and uncomplicated. Tsurin was sifting through them one by one, frowning at most of them. Looking at his mom helplessly, he pouts.
“Mommy….” He whines softly, plodding over to where his mother was standing by the door. She smiles, and lets herself be pulled further into the closet. She looks over the outfits that Tsurin points to, shaking her head at some. Other outfits she takes off of the rack and puts against Tsurin's body to see how it fits.
It takes a bit, with Tsurin being a little picky, but they settle on a simple outfit. A white dress shirt, and light beige dress pants. Patting out wrinkles in the clothes, his mother smiles softly at him.
“Better now, my little, big Tsunami?” She hums, sitting back on her legs with a soft smile at Tsurin. Her long, brown hair falling elegantly into her face. Tsurin reaches out, and brushes it behind his mother’s ear like she had done before.
His mother grins, and hugs him, peppering his face with kisses. Tsurin giggles and shrieks, as he struggles to get away from ticklish kisses with a big grin. With a soft smile, his mother turns his face to her, and places a big, fat kiss on his nose. Tsurin’s giggles slowly recede. His small hands gently cup his mother’s face.
“Momma, you’re really pretty!” He says, smiling. His mother smiles back, kissing his hair before standing and taking his hand. Leading Tsurin out of his room. Walking through the modest halls, they are soon approached by a man with a soft smile and gentle eyes.
“Kieva. My love.” The man, Tsurin’s father, hugs Kieva gently. Tsurin squeezes himself between the two of them, smiling up at them. With a little giggle, he snuggles closer.
“A sandwich hug!” He exclaims grinning up at his parents. They both chuckle, and Kieva ruffles Tsurin’s hair. His father smiles, and playfully flicks his nose.
Tsurin quickly squirms out of the hug, happily bouncing on the balls of his feet. With a grin, he runs off, giggling as he glances behind him. Checking that his parents were following. With a smile, Kieva starts walking after him.
“I’ll be going after Tsurin, Kohl.” She says to Kohl, her husband, before turning her walk into a slight jog so she can catch up to Tsurin quickly.
Tsurin runs until he’s in the gardens on the lawn of that palace. Happily, he plops himself down in the swaying grass, running his hands through the long grass that makes his small figure disappear. Giggling, he lets himself fall backwards into it, staring up at the clouds and reaching up a hand as if to touch them.
Soon, Kieva walks in, a little out of breath. She smiles when she spots a small patch of flattened grass. She crouches, and spreads the grass to see Tsurin, laying down and reaching a hand up, his eyes filled with wonder. She sits beside him, patting her lap. Tsurin lights up, and shifts his body so his head lays in his mothers lap.
“Mama, why are the clouds so far when they look so close?” Tsurin asks, staring at the clouds that stand out in the vast expanse of blue sky. Kieva hums, looking up at the constantly shifting and changing clouds. She hums, deep in thought.
“Well…” She starts slowly, “The clouds can’t come down and meet us, but we can’t go up and meet them. Perhaps, one day, a brave little cloud will come to visit you.” Kieva says, her fingers gently threading through Tsurin’s short, silky hair.
Tsurin looks up at his mother, tilting his head. His sea blue eyes sparkling with curiosity. He sits up on his knees, and turns to his mom.
“You’re sure they will?” He anxiously asks, wringing his hands together nervously, biting his lip gently as he shifts his balance from one side to the other. Then he lights up. “Oh, Oh! Mama, do you think that they’ll bring Sapatry?” Practically shaking with excitement, Tsurin gives his mother wide eyes with a slight pout. Puppy dog eyes. Kieva quickly caves, smiling softly and patting his head. With a thoughtful hum, she speaks.
“I don’t think so, but we can go make some.” She promises the boy, who leaps to his feet and tugs her hand. Tsurin grins, trying to drag his mother to the kitchens with much enthusiasm.
“No time to waste, Mama!” He giggles, successfully pulling his mother into the palace. Navigating through the halls, Tsurin waves to the butlers and maids. Some of which are cleaning, while others are tending to the flowers in the courtyard. With every wave he gives, he gets a small smile or a wave back.
Pushing open one of the many double doors around, Tsurin grins. He lets go of Kieva’s hand, and rushes in. Running around the kitchens, he flings things open, and snags different things out of cupboards and pantry. He waddles to the kitchen counter, his small arms struggling to hold all of what he had grabbed.
Tsurin drops everything he gathered on the counter, and expectantly looks at Kieva. She smiles, and walks over to the counter Tsurin had dumped everything on. She sifts through it all, muttering things to herself. But she pauses, a frown finding its place on her face.
“Tsunami, we’re missing saskatoon berries.” She hums, sifting through everything on the counter a second time, just to be sure. Tsurin stares at her, his eyes going wide with horror.
“But… But… We can’t!” He protests, standing on his tippy toes to peer at the ingredients he gathered. Biting his lip, he rushes to the cooling container, throwing it open and rummaging through the contents within. With a devastated wail, Tsurin looks at Kieva.
“Mama! We can’t make Sapatry… We can’t…” With a sniffle, Tsurin closes the cooling container before he plods to his mother, and just lets his head bump against her belly. Gently, Kieva’s hands run through his hair.
“Oh… Tsunami… I’ll go get the ingredients, okay? It might be a bit, though. Okay, my little angel?” She murmurs, kissing Tsurin’s forehead. Tsurin sniffles, and tightens his arms around her. Looking up with eyes glistening with tears yet to fall, he nods.
“Okay, mama. You’re the most, bestest mama ever. Be back soon, ‘cause I’ll miss you.” He mumbles, stepping back from Kieva’s soothing grip, rubbing his eyes with one hand before smiling up at her. A little smile that lights up the room. Kieva gives a faint smile of her own, ruffling Tsurin’s hair.
“Of course, Tsunami.” She murmurs, before taking his hand and leading him out of the kitchens. Discreetly, Kieva jerks her head at two maids. They quickly rush into the kitchen, putting ingredients back to where they belong.
Tsurin clutches his mother’s hand as she leads him to her room. When she opens the door, she smiles at Tsurin. His eyes go wide, and he lights up, rushing in. Going right for the closet. Flinging it open, he ruffles through the many outfits. He tosses most into one pile, setting aside a few that look elegant, and ones that Tsurin has seen Kieva wear before.
Tsurin looks at Kieva, holding the soft, wool coat. He offers it to her, eyes sparkling with eagerness. Chuckling, Kieva takes the coat gently from Tsurin.
“You want me to wear this when I go get Saskatoon berries, hm?” She says teasingly, ruffling Tsurin’s hair before she holds the coat up in front of her. She hums, tilting her head a little before swinging it over her head, putting it on. She twirls, so Tsurin can see what she looks like. Tsurin stares, his eyes wide. He grins.
“Mama! You look so pretty and… and… B… Beau… Bootifull!” Giggling, he tackles her with a hug. Keiva gasps, stumbling back a little before she steadies herself and laughs at Tsurin’s enthusiasm. “Like… Like…. Like They are, in the stories!” Kieva stiffens upon hearing that, but smiles at Tsurin.
“Thank you for the compliment, Tsunami. Lets pray one last time before I go get those Saskatoon berries, hm?” Tsurin smiles up at her, and scrambles out of her arms. Dragging her to the Ancestral Temple, Tsurin is full of energy. He hums softly as they walk in, eyes darting all over. As though this were the first time he was entering the Ancestral Temple.
“Momma, it’s so big…” He says in wonder, twirling around as he skips to the big statue. A hood obscuring the face and one hand holding a book while the other is outstretched to the sky. The ceiling. Tsurin’s gaze follows the hand, landing on the murals of land and animals on the ceiling. He gasps softly, before pointing at it, wide eyed.
“I never noticed that before, Mama!” He says, eyes wide and head tilted to the side a little. Kieva smiles softly, gently pulling him down to kneel beside her. She clasps her hands, and Tsurin follows suit. Her lips move quickly, though she occasionally pauses to breathe. Tsurin looks around as his mother does that, shifting impatiently. Occasionally, Tsurin will glance at his mother as she says things about Them forgiving her, and Tsurin.
But soon enough, Tsurin’s mom stands, gently grabbing his arm and pulling him up with her. She smiles softly at him, calmer now that she has prayed to Them.
“Lets bow now, to show our respect, okay Tsunami?” Kieva asks, and Tsurin nods, hesitantly waiting, until his mother bows, her dark brown hair falling across her face. In which he hastily follows her lead, bowing deeply to the statue.
It didn’t take long for Kieva to leave to go to Ismel and get Saskatoon berries after that. Tsurin sat at his window almost daily, only leaving to get meals or grab a book, otherwise he’s staring out at the birds and that meticulous garden the maids stayed in for hours. Tsurin waited. He waited one week. Two. Now almost three weeks had passed, and Tsurin was restless.
He wanders down halls, unadorned by anything and just… simple. Stopping in front of the throne room and that simple door leading into the big, grandiose room. Tsurin pushes the door open.
“Papa?” He called, after silence greeted him. Tsurin wrings his hands, stepping into the room. Only the soft glow of torches flickering lights the room up, driving the shadows away. Sticking close to the wall, Tsurin inches into the room.
“Papa?” He calls again, a hand gently playing with a stone sticking out of the cold wall. Another step in, and Tsurin looks around nervously. When he’s embraced from behind, he squeaks in terror, and jumps. There was no hesitation when he whirled around, eyes wide in utter terror.
“Hey, bud. What brings you to my throne room?” Kohl asks, stepping back from the embrace he had wrapped Tsurin in. Tsurin stares at him for a moment, dramatically clutching his chest and staring at Kohl wide-eyed. Tsurin takes a moment to gather his wits, before he finally speaks.
“Papa, how long will it be before Mam returns?” Tsurin asks quietly, his wide eyes staring up at his dad. Kohl stiffens, and silently walks to his throne, and sits down with a heavy sigh. He stares at Tsurin. Only for a moment. Kohl’s shoulders slump, and he leans forward. Kohl’s eyes were dull, staring down at nothing, yet everything at the same time.
“...She… won’t return, Tsurin.” That’s all Kohl says, but it makes Tsurin’s brows furrow up in confusion. The sound of beads clacking together sounds out around the room, as Tsurin tugs and fiddles with his leather armband. The armband his mother made, adorned with many beads.
“She won’t? Why, Papa?” He asks, tilting his head back to get a proper look at his father’s face. Tired. Kohl looks tired.Wrinkles on his forehead, and a frown on his face. He looks tired, his face sagging. The many scars marring his face are even more prominent on the pale skin. Tsurin reaches up to his own face, feeling it. Soft skin, unmarred by scars. Round, slightly chubby cheeks.
He lets his hand drop, and expectantly looks at his dad. Kohl sighs, and stands. Each step he takes is heavy as he makes his way to Tsurin. His shoes make no noise, and he stops in front of Tsurin before hugging him. It was gentle, but tight.
“She… She’s gone, probably dead.” Tsurin freezes, staring up at his dad with wide eyes.
“Dead…?” He whispers, blinking before he faintly laughs, a hollow, fake sound. “Papa… that’s not funny. Mama… She must be here somewhere…” He says, backing up. Then he dashes back through the door, rubbing at the tears building in his eyes. Everything blurs together, but he doesn’t stop running. He doesn’t stop.
Pushing past guards, running through brambles in a daze, he just… runs. Sniffling and sobbing. Tsurin pants, his muscles probably burning from the relentless running. When he collapses, it’s in the middle of a clearing, with the sun turning the horizon pink and purple. Light softly caresses his face, lighting up his sobbing face. Tsurin curls in on himself.
“Mama… Mama?… I’m lost… Mama…” He sniffles, his hands clenching into the grass. Ripping it up a little. He curls up there, in that forest. The birds stop chirping as it gets later, each going home, to their own mothers, and the crickets begin to chitter.
Tsurin yawns, and lays down. Due to sliding in the plants a little, his knees are slightly green from the chlorophyll. He stares up at the sky, now a little dark because of the receding sun. Reaching up, he sniffles. Then Tsurin lets his hand fall to his side dejectedly. His eyes glittering with tears before he closes them, and falls into an uneasy sleep.
The night passes like any other, but Tsurin is woken to the sound of birds chirping, and the chitter of animals speaking. Dazed, Tsurin blinks many times as he regains consciousness after the night of slipping in and out of sleep. He yawns, rubbing his eyes groggily.
“Mama…?” He mumbles before stiffening, “Ah… no.” He says after a moment. Dragging himself to his feet, he starts wandering through the forest, trying to make his way back to the palace. With each plod of his feet, Tsurin’s shoulders sag a little more.
Pushing aside branches and leaves, He slowly maneuvers his way through the greenery. His eyes light up a little when he spots the palace, but dull again quickly.
He walks through the gates, quietly nodding to the guards with a faint smile that vanished immediately after. Tsurin walks through the familiar halls that are now simply… empty. He stares at the ground and sighs. He pushed open the door he stood before, and walked into the room. He stares at everything, one after the other. Books left open to read later. Clothes tossed aside for future events.
Tsurin quietly walks further into the room before crawling onto the big bed and curling up. Bringing the covers up to his face and burying himself in them.
“Mama…” He whispers, a tear falling down his cheek and starting the torrent of tears. He sobs softly, hugging the blankets closer. He curls up there, crying himself to sleep in his parents-… dad’s room…