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Hikaru.
The little jewel sparkles each time a sunray strikes it. Every now and then, the summer breeze stirs the cotton curtain, and light enters inside; a luminous streak that stretches across the colored slabs of the kitchen, and across the tiles along the white walls. Then, the silver chain trembles and jingles, and the little dangling crown sways back and forth. Helping herself on the fence of her playpen, she tries to reach out to grab it, but even on the tips of her little feet the pendant hangs too far above her head.
Daddy hums a tune she doesn't recognize and her attention is refocused entirely on him. He hops here and there, between the cupboards and stove that she is not allowed to approach when the merry flames shimmer on the burners. The tasty aroma is already reaching her tiny nose, arousing her appetite just in time for lunch. Daddy says today they're not having toast. She loves toast, but Daddy says they had toast yesterday and she can't have toast every day. It shouldn't matter though, because whatever Daddy is making, it smells good enough. Daddy’s meals always smell good.
Sometimes, Daddy turns towards her and blows a raspberry and makes silly faces. It makes her laugh. Daddy makes her laugh a lot, when she's happy and when she's sad too. Daddy always smiles at her and she thinks he feels a lot like when the sunbeams hit her face. Warm.
Papa walks in from the little door that leads outside in the garden, with MeowMeow lazily trailing behind, who totters next to her and drops on the floor, belly up, ready for the rubs. She loves MeowMeow because he's fat and soft when she crushes him in her arms and nuzzles his fur. And sometimes when they play, he grows bigger like a balloon and lets her ride him. She doesn't have time to play with MeowMeow now, because Papa approaches her and picks her up in his arms and kisses her cheek. He smiles too, but it's a different kind of smile than Daddy. If Daddy is like the sun, exciting and bright, Papa feels safe and unwavering like the tall trees planted on the ground.
It's the little things she is noticing about them as time moves on. To her eyes, they're taking different shapes. If before, they were one whole molding her world, now she sees them as two separate -although linked- halves of the same world.
The most important thing is that Papa is tall and when he lets her ride his shoulders it feels like she's flying high above the ground. Sometimes Papa holds her in his hands and lifts her up above his head and it's almost as if she can touch the sky. She laughs and it's one of the most exciting things she and Papa do together. Daddy is not that tall, and it doesn't feel the same. But Daddy can do a lot of other exciting things too.
When they travel in their Gummi thing, Daddy always lets her sit on his legs behind the wheel and he shows her the stars and the rocks and the strange colors they navigate through. Only when Papa is not there. He doesn't like it when Daddy does it. He says it's not safe and Daddy pouts and then he laughs. She wants to tell Papa that she feels very safe with Daddy too. It's a different kind of safe. If Papa would do anything to keep her out of any dangers, Daddy would do anything to save her from it, when in need.
When it's bedtime and the monsters come out from under the bed, it's Papa who fights the monsters with his big key so she can go to sleep. But if the monsters return and she wakes up scared, it's Daddy who lifts her in his arms and brings her to the large bed. She sleeps cocooned by both, safe and cuddled and warm until morning.
Papa makes the best toasts in the morning. She always looks for breakfast, often when it's Papa's turn to cook. Daddy makes a lot of yummy things, but he can't make toasts like Papa. She loves it most when Papa on the bread spreads a thick layer of that sweet papao fruit thingy. That might not be the right word but it doesn't matter. It's sweet and smooth and she would eat the entire jar. Except, Daddy wouldn't let her. Bummer.
When it's playtime, she and Daddy do a lot of things together. They play Hide-and-Seek outside in the garden, and if he grabs her before she can touch home base, he starts tickling her and she laughs so much she can't stop. He plays with her, with the little toys she owns: the boxes, the animals, the blocks. But her favorite thing they do together is when they lie on the bed or on the couch and Daddy holds her between his arms with a book opened in front of them. Daddy reads the stories and makes the weird voices that delight her. He points at the big illustrations of tortoises and giraffes and elephants, and she observes the figures while she listens to him and she's never been so happy.
When Papa plays with her, they always do something surprising and exciting. Papa is very good with his hands. He can fold paper and make weird shapes and figures. If they play with the colorful clays, he helps her make a lot of small statues of animals, mushrooms, stars and little monsters, and now she already has a vast collection on display in her bedroom. It's more exciting than the times Daddy lets her play with the dough when he's baking. Daddy can't make the same things Papa does. But maybe, the best thing she and Papa do together is take naps on the hammock hanging between the palm trees in the garden. When Daddy is doing errands in town, Papa nestles her next to him in the hammock and they fall asleep together, swinging gently under the sea breeze until Daddy wakes them both with kisses in time for dinner.
One of the things she loves the most is when they walk together down to the beach in the late afternoon, when the sun is almost setting. Daddy pulls out a blanket and lays it out in the sand and they sit there together. Sometimes they eat or they play together building gigantic castles and wetting their feet on the shore. Most times, Daddy grabs a papao fruit from the tree and they share it, as they watch the sun disappear on the horizon and the stars come out one after the other, and they share adventurous stories she will dream of at night.
MeowMeow is snoring next to her inside the playpen. Papa gave her a kiss and now is standing next to Daddy, helping him prepare lunch. She observes them and she still notices the little things. The way their fingers brush and the color reddening their cheeks. She sees the fleeting glances they share, whose meaning she doesn't grasp fully. She has this feeling though, that Papa and Daddy are sweet and strong and love her a whole lot. But they love each other too. They really, really love each other. A different kind of love that it's still a stranger to her.
When they think she can't see them, sometimes Daddy kisses Papa. Not in the same way they kiss her. Sometimes, Papa kisses Daddy. And sometimes, they kiss each other in a different way. She doesn't understand. But when she watches them, she feels warmth and something else. It's not sadness. She doesn't know the word for it. But it comes from her heart.
There's a story behind them that she doesn't know about. Maybe one day they'll tell her.
One day, they'll tell her how she came to be. They’ll tell her she was a wish upon a star. There was a world immersed in darkness and they wished for light to brighten it up. And the biggest star in the universe granted them their wish. Because if you have a dream in your heart, when you wish upon a star your dreams come true.
The little silver crown is still dangling from its place out of reach. One day when she is going to be a little older, Daddy will give it to her like Papa gifted it to Daddy once. Daddy says it's an oath, to always protect who you love. One day Daddy will give her the necklace and will tell her how she came to be and how important she is. He will tell her that there's a destiny they all have, that she has. And a special part to play.
Most importantly though, Daddy will tell her the truth. That it doesn't matter how much the darkness tries to spring free; the light inside her heart will always guide her.
Because he knows, without any doubt, that Kingdom Hearts is light.
And this is why she is Hikaru.
-End🌴