Title: My Dark Haven, Kaori Koga Backstory
Author: SilverInk
Writing: Background brief
Word Count: 1577.
"My mom and dad fight at home. He cuts her sometimes. And then she gets mad and sends him flying across the room."
"Miss Koga, please stop telling lies about your parents. I cannot for the life of me imagine them disagreeing on anything, much less fighting. Now, does anyone have a true story to share with the class?"
"But Ms Eviteen, they do fight. And then they get mad at me when when I try to stop them. I'm not lying. I have bruises to prove it."
"That will be enough Miss Koga, see me after the meeting."
Ms Eviteen ended the meeting there and for the rest of the period the kids sat around and played cards. They were all there because they thought they could use peer discussion about their personal or social issues.
When Ms Eviteen wasn't looking, she said again, "My parents really do fight though. I just need help. I'd like somewhere to go, where I won't have to deal with my parents beating each other up and yelling at me for no reason."
"Listen," one of the card players said, folding his hand. "It isn't anywhere near Avril, so don't be pulling jokes on us, ok?"
"Technically," another said, adjusting his glasses, "It doesn't need to be the Month of Comedy for someone to be funny. I mean, "The Aidapak" is a year-long show. I raise ten."
"Well, fine. And anyways Kaori? I live right next to you. I never hear them shouting. I never hear anyone from your house shouting."
Kaori shook her head, sending the brown-black mass that was only tied up by a few red ribbons flying into a mess. "The walls are soundproof, don't you know?"
The person with the glasses smiled, delighted he had won the round. Putting the cards away, he said, "Yes, but it doesn't seem very like either of them to quarrel with anyone or anything. And I'm sure your parents would never hurt each other. They're always very cordial and sweet."
"In public," Kaori protested, but the hour had ended and the occupants began leaving the classroom to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Kaori sighed in defeat and retied her hair more securely.
"Miss Koga, you are very convinced that your parents are violent at home."
"Yes, Ms Eviteen."
"I have sent word to your father asking to join your family for dinner. I do not think what you say is true, but if you are so insistent, then I would not mind spending a night in investigation."
"Thank you Ms Eviteen!" Kaori said. The counselor only nodded and waved her out the door. "I'll see you at dinner!"
---
"KAORI KOGA. You dare to shame your name and complain to outsiders about a family issue?"
"But mother--!"
Kaori ducked as the couch hurtled towards her. It landed a few feet away, caught between the stair rail that led up to the one-room loft and the other wall. Kaori flung out her hands and concentrated on a mental picture of her as a baby. Her mother was caught aback for but a moment though and soon a lamp shot itself at Kaori, shattering and scratching her arms and cheek. Kaori yelped and staggered backwards and was saved by the sound of the doorbell. "Go change," her mother ordered, sending the lamp shards into the trash receptacle and the couch back to its original place with a few swipes of her hand. She looked into the mirror by the door, smiled pleasantly, and opened the door, "Ms Eviteen, how kind of you to join us. Dinner is almost ready. Please, do come in." Mr. Koga appeared from his workroom and shook Ms Eviteen's hand amicably. "Yes, please. Would you care for some drink?"
Seeing Kaori still standing defiantly on the stairs, her father stepped out of view of the door and under the guise of fetching a cup, sent a few magical bolts at his daughter. Kaori jumped and the bolts only tore her dress, slightly and silently. Kaori slipped upstairs before anything else happened to her.
"Forgive me," she said, entering the dining room, where the adults were already eating. "I overslept," she lied, seeing the expressions her parents were throwing her over Ms Eviteen's head. She had not decently covered the cut on her cheeck and Ms. Eviteen noted this.
"She tripped and broke the lamp," Mrs. Koga explained politely, offering to treat the wound as she poured some soup for Kaori. "Are you sure you don't want me to look at it dear? You're sure you feel fine?"
Kaori suppressed a grimace and nodded stiffly. "Yes mother, it is perfectly fine. Although you are quite wrong about the detail. The lamp flew at me and was intentionally shattered."
Her mother put on a confused expression and Mr. Koga stepped in. "It is all my fault really," he said, setting the spoon down. "I accidentally left lamp in a bad location and when she came home, she accidentally triggered the catapult I was building, sending the badly-placed lamp at her. But enough of this. I apologize--to everyone--for my negligence. Kaori, could I make it up to you by offering you your favorite dessert tonight? Ms. Eviteen, I hope you do not mind strawberry shortcake."
"But I hat--" Kaori started but capitulated at the dagger-like look she saw on both her parent's faces. "Thank you father."
Dinner proceeded quietly for Kaori, though the adults chatted amiably on quite a range of topics. Not once did her Mr. or Mrs. Koga say a cross word or indicate any sign of disapproval with each other, their daughter or their guest.
Ms. Eviteen stayed for a few hours after dinner to continue her examination and was then offered a tour of the house by Mr. Koga, who apologized profusely for neglecting to do so until so late. With the eye of a teacher, Ms Eviteen examined the furnishings. The one-story house was very neatly decorated, with nothing that so much hinted as to damage or wear. Since both Mr. and Mrs. Koga did not rely on weaponry in their careers, there were not even the most basic weapons lying around. The kitchen knives were securely contained and showed no signs of being thrown or used as anything but a tool for chopping vegetables. Up rickety stairs in Kaori's bedroom loft was the only sign of disturbance:
Kaori's room was not messy--no, it was clean and orderly--but the color scheme was quite disturbing. The entire of the room was painted black, with a few stripes of a creamy pink here and there, showing where the black desk, the black bed, the black-framed mirror, the black closet, the black door to the black bathroom. The light from the room came from five pink lamps. Bottles of sand, both colored and not colored and corkboard-size sand-painting canvases were tucked in a corner but loomed dangerously in the room. Kaori's main weapon, a dagger the length of her forearm, was resting conspicuously on her dresser.
---
"Kaori, don't be upset, but I think it isn't your parent's fault that you are feeling these emotions. I think your powers are occasionally slipping from your grasp, causing you to see things that aren't real. Illusion imposition is a difficult skill and power to master, so do not be deterred. I'm sure you will one day master it perfectly well."
---
Kaori Koga, fifteen, pinned her hair up neatly in two curled loops. She combed her bangs to the now-normal cute style and the two long strands at either side so that they would not bother her vision. Finally, she set a scarlet ribbon in her hair, a strikingly elegant look. Her dress was pretty, but also somewhat practical and her dagger was strung inconspicuously on the inside of the coat. She washed off any traces of blood, bandaged the cuts she could and arranged her dress so it would cover the scars. The ones on her face she cleaned quickly but throughly and then expertly applied makeup around the area to conceal it as much as possible. Only then did she dare leave the comfort of her black room.
"Good morning, Miss Koga," her teachers greeted. "Good morning," she replied.
"Such a nice little girl now," her teachers commented. "that Ms Eviteen sure knows her stuff. Why only last Fril Arg she was freaking out and telling foolish stories about her parents. And now--a mere week and a half later--it seems she has drastically improved her life. How fortunate."
The students seemed to think the same. "Hey, Kaori. I was wondering--would you go to the dance with me?"
"Don't you have a girlfriend?"
"We broke up."
"Oh." Kaori smiled pleasantly and locked her scarlet-hazel eyes on the boy's. Subtly, Kaori moved her hand. There was no indication that anything unusual was happening; the first sign came from the boy, who staggered backwards and howled silently
"Why'd you show me that?!" he demanded, shaking his head to keep the images that plagued him.
Kaori laughed as if he had said a joke and then continued her way for a few steps. Her polite little smile turned upwards in a knowing smirk and she turned back to the poor boy. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?"
Curses returned her words. Kaori set a comforting hand on her new victim and a channeled more images to the person, some true, some imagined, all haunting. She leaned towards him and whispered, "I know what you fear. But be comforted. Reality exists within the mind, and I have your secret locked up in my dark haven."
Artist's Note: I wrote this in 88 minutes, as a part of a quickwrite.
The main character is one of the minor characters in my to-be NaNoWriMo 2010 project, "Edge: the Heart Reincarnation". Hopefully everything makes sense?
(Yes, I know book titles are supposed to be underlined or italicized. But since it's still in plan-form right now, I think quotation marks will do XP)
Please rate! On a scale of 1-5, how soon in the story should she die? (6 if she should not be killed at all). For any reason you'd like; for example, Lewis said one of my mean characters should not die just because it would be so ironic if the mean one lived. :)
~SilverInk
P.S. I was going to post the second and probably final (really because I just don't feel like writing it much longer) part of Tsiyone's character background, but obviously didn't XD Maybe next week?
P.P.S I have a few drawings of her! I'll submit it once I'm done scanning and editing them :) So check back on this post sometime later on! :) :)
