Work Text:
Grief had a way of hitting you when you least expected it.
Haru had lost track of the number of times she had been holding things together just fine, only for the moment to twist in just the right way to make her crumble instantly. One moment, she would be sorting through papers in her father’s office, and the next she would be weeping over the framed photo of her that he kept on his desk.
The night was no better. Haru had never had many nightmares, but the last few months had given her plenty of terrible things to dream about.
Every night, as she lay down to sleep, she wondered what horrors she would be subjected to by her own mind.
The darkness was the first thing Haru registered. It reminded her of Father’s Palace; endless space stretching out in every direction. Nothing before or since had ever made her feel quite so small.
The next thing she registered was the hands on her shoulders. The figure they were attached to was lit up by some strange light - moonlight, maybe - and it took a few moments for her eyes to focus enough to see their face.
It was Father. He looked the same as the day he died, hair perfectly styled, wearing thin, wire glasses, and dressed in a smart suit.
And there was an axe embedded into his skull. Black ooze seeped out of his eyes and nose, as he clung to Haru’s shoulders. As he spoke, his voice came out as sputters and gasps.
“My little girl,” he said, gripping onto her shoulders so tightly that his knuckles went white. “Haru. My little girl. I love you.”
“I love you too, Papa,” Haru said softly, cupping Kunikazu’s face in her hands. “I love you. I am sorry I never said it enough.”
“My little girl,” Kunikazu repeated. “Haru. My little girl.”
Like a stuck record.
The dream was unravelling around her.
That was the problem with dreams: they never lasted long enough.
“Father!” Haru said frantically. “Please. I need more time. You can’t leave me yet.”
“My… little… girl,” Kunikazu slurred, leaning most of his weight onto Haru. “My little girl.”
“Father, please!” Haru exclaimed, shaking him by the shoulders. His eyes were completely black as he looked up at her. There was nothing there anymore.
Nothing.
He was gone. Completely gone. Haru needed to accept that.
She wasn't his little girl anymore, and she hadn’t been for a long time.
With a start, Haru woke up in her empty, dimly-lit apartment. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she took a few shaky breaths.
That damn dream again…
It was all too tempting to let herself break down, but Haru didn’t have time for grief. She had a company to run, and her father’s mistakes to correct. Looking to the alarm clock on her bedside table, she noted that it was almost six o’clock.
Time to get up.
Haru Okumura didn’t have time to waste.