Developments (Post-Lilly NE) [Complete, 2015-08-11]

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dewelar
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Ch.55 posted 12/

Post by dewelar »

HoneyBakedHam wrote:Hello there, dewelar. Finally registered onto the site, but had been following this as a guest reader since Ch 41. I'm loving your work and I hope things work out for Hanako and she finds love, also. :)
Thanks! Always good to see a new name in the comments :) . Hope you enjoy the rest of the story! I won't spoil anything, but I hope you like what I've still got planned for Hanako.
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Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Ch.55 posted 12/

Post by brythain »

dewelar wrote:I won't spoil anything, but I hope you like what I've still got planned for Hanako.
Wait... you had something planned for Hanako?? :D kidding, kidding...
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Ch.55 posted 12/

Post by HoneyBakedHam »

dewelar wrote:
HoneyBakedHam wrote:Hello there, dewelar. Finally registered onto the site, but had been following this as a guest reader since Ch 41. I'm loving your work and I hope things work out for Hanako and she finds love, also. :)
Thanks! Always good to see a new name in the comments :) . Hope you enjoy the rest of the story! I won't spoil anything, but I hope you like what I've still got planned for Hanako.
Sounds great :)

Will tell you this, though: New name, but been reading a lot of the fanfics on here for months without registering. Didn't think it was worth it if I wasn't going to upload stories of my own, but me wanting to encourage all of you got the better of me.

That, and an OC fanfic a small group and I are gonna start working on with some different twists to the KS canon, so I thought probably best I get a name now.
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dewelar
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Developments, Interlude 5: Revelations

Post by dewelar »

NOTE: I know I said I wouldn't do another interlude, but I had this tidbit of an idea that felt just right for a little Christmas bonus material. Special thanks to griffon8 for planting the seed :) .

Additionally, Crimson has created a piece of music to reflect this interlude: Revelations. Please do him, and me, the honor of listening to it.


~~~~

"No, it's someone else." My daughter takes a deep breath and lets it out. "If it's all right, I'd like you to officially meet my boyfriend."

Boyfriend, hm? It's about time, even if it might be very convenient.

"I see," I tease. I have to play my part in this scene, after all. "You're talking about the boy you've been running with, right? Hisao, wasn't it?"

"Yep, that's him!"

"Then this is truly a special occasion," I cheer. "In that case, how many people should I be prepared to feed, exactly?"

"Hmmm...just make double what you'd make for me, I guess."

"I'd better make a shopping trip, then," I laugh. I'm slightly disappointed that Emi didn't rise to my bait, but I'm sure I'll have plenty of chances for that soon enough. It gives me the idea there might be more to this than meets the eye, but I can't say that out loud. She sounds happy, at least – happier than I've heard her sound in a long time. Well...maybe I'm overthinking this, and she really does just want me to meet him, but if I'm not I'll be ready. "I really am looking forward to tomorrow, dear. A shame I had to wait nineteen years for this moment, but I'll make do."

"Mo-om!"

"Daily teasing complete," I grin. "I promise to be on my best behavior tomorrow, too."

I swear I can hear my daughter rolling her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be ready for extreme embarrassment, then. Anyway, gotta go! See you for dinner tomorrow!"

"See you then, dear," I finish. Phones are hung up, and I find myself smiling at mine. For the first time, my daughter is bringing a boy home to be exposed to this old lady's oddities. I'm very happy, of course, but also very nervous, because I know there's a good chance that she's doing this so that when things don't go well between us, she'll have excuses she can make.

Any more of that will have to wait, because I have someone I need to scold. I dial his number and wait through a couple of rings. "Hello?"

"Goro, do you have a moment?" I inquire. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Really? What might that be?"

"Don't play innocent with me. That's my game, and you know it."

He laughs. "Hang on a moment." In the background I hear him talking to someone. "I have some you can use for now, Takahashi. Just try to be more careful. Right, see you next time." There's a pause. "Okay, I should be able to talk now. Is there a problem?"

"I'm pretty sure there is," I admonish. "You did know about Emi having a boyfriend, didn't you?"

"More or less. I was waiting to see how long it would take her to tell you. Looks like it was...oh, 24 hours give or take. Not bad for our little fireball, I'd say."

"Okay," I giggle. "I'll grant you that. So I'm guessing you haven't seen them this morning yet."

"No, and I don't think I need to tell you why, either."

"Heavens, no!" I gasp. "I may be an old woman now, but not so old that I don't remember being young!"

"Oh, don't give me that. You remember being young because you're still young."

"Flatterer," I chide. "It's still good to hear that once in a while, even if it's not true."

"Mei," he darkens. "You're in one of your moods again. Is this about what happened two nights ago?"

"Maybe a little," I sigh. "I'm just worried that Emi might be using this visit with her boyfriend to avoid talking about it."

"I don't think you need to worry," he soothes. "You probably haven't seen too much of the effects, but in the short time they've been spending time together, I think Hisao has been very good for Emi. She's a lot more grounded these days. Besides, you know Emi – if she wanted to avoid talking to you, she just wouldn't bother coming home at all."

"Hmmm, that's true," I muse. "She has been talking to me more about important things lately. You seem awfully nonchalant about this yourself, though. Tell me, is this what you expected when you got my daughter mixed up in this plan of yours?"

"Hm?" he says, acting like he didn't hear me. "Oh, you mean the training. Honestly, no. I had a feeling that Emi's attitude would be good for Hisao at the time, and you know why I thought she needed something to focus on, but I never expected it to work out quite so well. They really are very good for each other, Mei. Be happy for them."

"Oh, I am," I assure. "I'd like to reserve final judgment until I at least meet the boy, though." He laughs warmly, making me smile. "I guess I need to thank you, then. Emi's growing up at last, and you're at least partially to thank for it."

"Growing up, and maybe...moving on?"

Ah, the magic words. "Maybe," I hedge. "We shouldn't be getting ahead of ourselves yet, but..." I pause, letting the thought wrap me in its blanket. "I really hope so. I think if it happened, it might make a nice Christmas gift for us all."

"Whoa, we still can't officially do anything until graduation. She gets her impetuousness from you, you know. Besides, if she finds out too early, she might treat me differently."

"Differently how?" I wonder.

"She might start treating me like she does you," he says, and I imagine him winking as he does. "I'll have a devil of a time getting her to listen to me then."

"In that case," I half-joke, "if this Hisao Nakai is everything I've heard from you two, she might just listen to him, even if it's just a little bit. It really would be a load off my mind."

"She might at that," he chuckles. "And that? Would be a good thing, Mei. A very good thing. Ah, well, I guess for now we'll keep playing it by ear, then."

"I guess so," I breathe. "Say, would you like to join us tomorrow? It might be an interesting show."

"Hmm, that's very tempting. I wouldn't want to get in the way, though."

"You wouldn't be," I reassure. "You could always think of it as a preview of things to come."

"Really, I wish I could," he says with an obvious grin, "but I'm afraid I have to pass. I have to cover for Uehara tomorrow."

"All right," I pout. "Some other time, then."

"Some other...hang on, Mei." I hear a knocking sound, and then he says from far away, "Oh, Katayama, welcome back - be with you in a second." Coming back to the phone, he says, "Sorry, we'll have to finish this some other time, too. Take care."

"You too, Goro," I return, then hang up. Quickly walking to my bedroom, I pull open the drawer of my nightstand to withdraw the velvet box he gave me last Christmas.

Soon...soon, everyone will able to see how we feel about each other...

~~~~

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Last edited by dewelar on Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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Re: Developments, Interlude 5: Revelations

Post by forgetmenot »

dewelar wrote:He laughs. "Hang on a moment." In the background I hear him talking to someone. "I have some you can use for now, Takahashi. Just try to be more careful. Right, see you next time." There's a pause. "Okay, I should be able to talk now. Is there a problem?"
Probably a lot of people at Yamaku with that name. ;)

Also, something tells me we're not quite free of the drama-zone just yet. Call it a hunch.
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by brythain »

Awwwww! That was a werry werry sweeeeeet interlude! I have a big grin all over my face now.

Especially since you dropped all those lovely, lovely names—with the promise of plot development of a certain kind too! :)
Post-Yamaku, what happens? After The Dream is a mosaic that follows everyone to the (sometimes) bitter end.
Main Index (Complete)Shizune/Lilly/Emi/Hanako/Rin/Misha + Miki + Natsume
Secondary Arcs: Rika/Mutou/AkiraHideaki | Others (WIP): Straw—A Dream of SuzuSakura—The Kenji Saga.
"Much has been lost, and there is much left to lose." — Tim Powers, The Drawing of the Dark (1979)
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Oscar Wildecat »

"You too, Goro," I return, then hang up. Quickly walking to my bedroom, I pull open the drawer of my nightstand to withdraw the velvet box he gave me last Christmas.

Soon...soon, everyone will able to see how we feel about each other...
Ahem...

Squeee!

...That is all!
I like all the girls in KS, but empathize with Hanako the most.
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Minion of Chaos »

Nice, I like the small setup here from Mei's POV here, it's flavorful (or at least quasi-preparatory if my gut is right).

That said,
"it might make a nice Christmas gift for us all"
isn't the current timeline in summer? Or would this simply be a "looking forward to" type of thing?
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Re: Developments, Interlude 5: Revelations

Post by dewelar »

As always, thanks for the kind words!
forgetmenot wrote:
dewelar wrote:He laughs. "Hang on a moment." In the background I hear him talking to someone. "I have some you can use for now, Takahashi. Just try to be more careful. Right, see you next time." There's a pause. "Okay, I should be able to talk now. Is there a problem?"
Probably a lot of people at Yamaku with that name. ;)
Yeah, probably :wink:.
Also, something tells me we're not quite free of the drama-zone just yet. Call it a hunch.
Yeah, it's probably wise to trust your instincts here...
brythain wrote:Awwwww! That was a werry werry sweeeeeet interlude! I have a big grin all over my face now.
8)
Especially since you dropped all those lovely, lovely names—with the promise of plot development of a certain kind too! :)
Yeah, I'd been looking for a good spot for one in particular (see previous comment :wink:) but the final unclaimed one was entirely serendipitous.
Oscar Wildecat wrote:Ahem...

Squeee!

...That is all!
8) 8)
Minion of Chaos wrote:
"it might make a nice Christmas gift for us all"
isn't the current timeline in summer? Or would this simply be a "looking forward to" type of thing?
Definitely forward-looking-ish :) .
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Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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Parliament
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Parliament »

Wow, I remember when this route was just getting started on it's first couple chapters. It's really been a long time.

Keep up the good work. :)
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Crimson »

I really enjoyed this interlude. I finally took some time yesterday to play around with it and came up with a short little piece to accompany it. Only got around to exporting and uploading it today after some computer troubles and then making sure it first sounded at least half-way decent, so here it is. I hope it's to your liking!

Looking forward to seeing where you're going to take the story. I got the same aforementioned hunch of upcoming drama, but I found this interlude to be pretty lighthearted which was a pleasant surprise, given the season. I can also only hope I managed to convey that accordingly in the piece I wrote for it.

Happy holidays, guys.
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dewelar
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by dewelar »

Crimson wrote:I really enjoyed this interlude. I finally took some time yesterday to play around with it and came up with a short little piece to accompany it. Only got around to exporting and uploading it today after some computer troubles and then making sure it first sounded at least half-way decent, so here it is. I hope it's to your liking!
It is, thanks! As with the others, I have gone ahead and linked it at the top of the associated post.
Looking forward to seeing where you're going to take the story. I got the same aforementioned hunch of upcoming drama, but I found this interlude to be pretty lighthearted which was a pleasant surprise, given the season. I can also only hope I managed to convey that accordingly in the piece I wrote for it.
Indeed. It's quite a bit brighter than the other two pieces, which is very appropriate :) . This put me in mind of the work of Tom Ameen, if you're familiar with him.
Happy holidays, guys.
The same to you, and all my other readers!
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Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Matigno »

I don't really post often, maybe because I lack the any form of constructive criticism, but now that I'm up to date I guess I'll leave a message here.
I like this story. Looking forward to the next chapter !
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by Mahorfeus »

A little late to the party! Or rather, couldn't find the time to comment before.

I thought this was a nice little segue into what's coming ahead. Meiko and Nurse being a thing is pretty much a cliche at this point, but I thought you pulled it off well enough. I guess it makes sense that they would put their relationship off because of Emi, but at the same time, I don't know if I really buy into that reasoning. Granted, I've always preferred to think of them as being just friends. Maybe it sounds stupid, but any romantic involvement on their part just seems too... perfect.

I share the sentiment of hoping that there isn't too much drama over the horizon, though if there is, I suspect it will be resolved in short order.
"A very small degree of hope is sufficient to cause the birth of love." -Stendhal
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dewelar
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Re: Developments (Post-Lilly Neutral End) - Int5 posted 12/2

Post by dewelar »

Matigno wrote:I don't really post often, maybe because I lack the any form of constructive criticism, but now that I'm up to date I guess I'll leave a message here.
I like this story. Looking forward to the next chapter !
Glad to hear it, and thanks! With the holidays and such, the next chapter is probably still a couple weeks away, so bear with me :).
Mahorfeus wrote:I guess it makes sense that they would put their relationship off because of Emi, but at the same time, I don't know if I really buy into that reasoning.
Hmmm...well, I don't think it's that unusual that Meiko would want to wait until she knew Emi had moved on enough from her father's death -- which up until now it's been pretty obvious she hadn't -- or at least until graduation. The thing about her not listening to Nurse was a bit of an inside joke between them, in case that wasn't clear, although the fact that it might interfere with their nurse-patient relationship probably also does play a role. Obviously, YMMV.
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Stuff I've written: Developments, a continuation of Lilly's (bad? neutral?) ending - COMPLETE!
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