Family Game Night (Shizune Good Ending After Story Fic)
Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2012 2:43 pm
Just A Little thing I thought I would write after reading "Weekend at Hisao's" Thank you you to Gordon and Themocaw for proofreading for me.
Hisao Nakai stared at the Risk board intently, pondering what to do next. He held Africa, but Shizune was making a bold move through South America and was also threatening his position in Europe. He looked over at his wife, her face a mask of intense concentration. She, however, was not his biggest worry.
That would be the eight year old girl playing with them. She was lovely, with straight brown hair, intense blue eyes, and a bright smile. She was happily shaking the dice, preparing to launch her attack from Australia on Shizune’s holdings in China, and Siam. The girl in a light blue sunflower dress (that was picked out for her, by of, all people, her uncle) had also built up her forces in Afghanistan and was in a position to strike at Hisao’s holdings in the Middle East as well. This little girl in pigtails had also pushed both of them out of North America the previous turn.
She smiled and gave a child’s approximation of a haughty woman’s laugh while covering her mouth. Hisao managed a small chuckle at the little display, as did Shizune, (who while not able to hear the laugh, was more than able to appreciate the gestures that she made). Both of them were hoping that the dice would be kind to them. If not, there was another ace in the hole that would save them from inevitable defeat.
It was a quarter to nine on a school night. Soon, their daughter would have to go to bed.
Eri Nakai happily started moving her armies from Australia, overpowering her mother’s forces in Siam, as the dice kept giving her victory after victory. Her deep blue eyes radiated with a delight that caused a smile to grace her father’s face.
Eri put down her dice and grinned. [You’re going to lose, Mommy,] she signed, with a flourish in her gestures.
[Acting like you’ve already won, my little prize?] Shizune signed back in reply, her blue eyes radiating a confident glint of their own.
Hisao laughed to himself at the exchange between the two most important women in his life. Eri had inherited every bit of her mother’s competitive streak. However, as he observed his daughter’s rush to conquer Asia, he noticed that she seemed to be pressing a little too hard and neglecting her defenses. Shizune, he noted, saw it too.
He was also able to notice something his wife could not: Eri was giggling up a storm.
“I’d be careful , Eri-chan”, Hisao said, signing for his wife‘s benefit. “You’re moving very quickly.”
“I have to, Daddy,” she replied. “I have to win this game right now, or else you and Mommy will just send me to bed.”
The remark elicited a catlike grin from Shizune. [Good. So you understand that you must seize the moment. However, your father does have a point. You had better hope that you keep rolling well, my love.]
Eri grinned back in a manner uncannily similar to her mother. [Auntie Misha says I’m good at being lucky.]
Hisao laughed. “If you say so, Riichan.” Of course, Misha gave their new daughter a nickname just like the ones she gave her parents. He looked down at the board and considered his next move.
Over the next couple of rolls, Eri’s luck with the dice began to falter. A series of unlucky rolls meant that her advance through India stopped right when it seemed that victory was inevitable. While she was able to seize China, it cost her a lot of armies and her advance eventually slowed. Frustrated at her lack of progress, she turned her attention to Hisao’s holdings in India and the Middle East, but her luck was no better. This turn was not the triumph that she had hoped for.
She turned to Hisao, resignation in her voice. “Your turn Daddy.”
The game didn’t last much longer after that. As if destined to do so, Shizune Nakai swept her husband and daughter off the board over the next two rounds, smiling as she did so.
[Mommy wins again,] Eri signed, disappointed.
[Don’t be so discouraged, dear. You did very well. You might have won had the dice gone better for you. It was very bold of you to try and win the game in one turn.] She smiled at her daughter and gave Eri a loving pat on the head.
[What does that sign mean?] Eri asked, mimicking the sign [BOLD]
[It means that you are not afraid to try big things,] her mother explained. [That you do what you want to try and get what you want and are not worried about failing or looking foolish.]
“Spoken, it means 'Bold' which you most certainly are,” Hisao interjected.
“But I didn’t win,” Eri sighed, frustration showing in both her voice and her signing.
[No, you didn’t. But you were willing to try. You might have been a little too eager, though, in attempting to take it all in one turn before bedtime.]
Hisao then glanced at his watch. “Which was about fifteen minutes ago, Eri-chan,” he pointed out.
“But Daaadyyyy!” Eri pouted.
“You have school tomorrow,” Hisao replied.
“I want to play another game. You never give me enough time to play!”
[You should have thought of that before you spent half an hour picking at your dinner,] Shizune signed. [Besides, you have a kanji test tomorrow. No daughter of mine is going to do poorly on a test because she didn’t get enough sleep.] She ended with a hard snap of the fingers that gave a hard punctuation to her words. [Eri Nakai, It’s time to go to bed.]
“Pleeeeeeeeeease, Daaadyyyyy!?” Eri looked up at her father with eyes almost like those of a kitten.
Hisao felt a pang of guilt and wondered, briefly, if it would be so bad to let her stay up for a little while longer. However, Shizune had a familiar glare, her hand fidgeting with her glasses. He’d seen that look many times while serving with his wife on the Student Council: it meant that disagreement Would Not Be Allowed. He turned to their daughter and simply said, “Go to bed, Eri.”
Eri let out a small “humph,” before saying, “You’re no fun,” and headed to her room.
[When did we become no fun, Hisao?] Shizune asked her husband.
[When we became parents andhad to start being responsible]
A bittersweet smile crossed Shizune’s face [ She’s worth it, though. She is the most wonderful girl that anyone can hope for.]
Hisao grinned. [Indeed, she is. Though she can be very stubborn at times, like someone else I know.]
This merited a playful (and familiar) “humph” from Shizune as she adjusted her glasses. [You’re the science teacher. Surely you have some understanding of heredity. You knew full well what you were getting into when you chose me to be the mother of your children.]
Hisao tried to keep himself from laughing. [Let’s go tuck her in, shall we?]
Eri’s room could be best described in single word: purple. The closet was filled with clothes and all sorts of board games. Eri herself was sitting on the side of the her purple bed, dressed in a purple gown, clutching an old, worn, stuffed cat toy. When she heard her parents enter the room she gave them a small smile.
“Are you ready for your test tomorrow?” Hisao asked.
“Yes, Daddy,” Eri said, “I’m going to do better than everyone else.”
[Of course you are.] Her mother signed. [You are going to impress your class and show the world what a wonderful little girl you are.] Shizune gave their daughter a familiar-looking catlike smile. Eri simply laughed.
Hisao chuckled at the sight as he took a corner from the covers of his daughter’s bed. “All right, Eri-chan, it’s time to go to bed.”
Eri laid down while her mother placed the covers over her and tucked her in. Shizune leaned forward and gave her daughter a kiss on her cheek and a stroke of her hair. [Good Night, my little prize.]
[Good Night, Mommy and Daddy. Next time I’m going to win,] Eri signed back.
Shizune’s eyes gleamed. She was about to reply, but was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder.
[I think we should let her sleep, my dear,] Hisao signed.
Shizune Nakai (who usually never let anyone else get the last word) simply smiled, a gleam in her eyes promising less family-friendly entertainment later on for her and her husband. They walked to the door and took one last look at their daughter before turning off the lights and closing the door.
In her darkened bedroom, Eri Nakai slept, clutching the cat doll that her father won for her mother many years ago during a School Festival in a place far away.
Hisao Nakai stared at the Risk board intently, pondering what to do next. He held Africa, but Shizune was making a bold move through South America and was also threatening his position in Europe. He looked over at his wife, her face a mask of intense concentration. She, however, was not his biggest worry.
That would be the eight year old girl playing with them. She was lovely, with straight brown hair, intense blue eyes, and a bright smile. She was happily shaking the dice, preparing to launch her attack from Australia on Shizune’s holdings in China, and Siam. The girl in a light blue sunflower dress (that was picked out for her, by of, all people, her uncle) had also built up her forces in Afghanistan and was in a position to strike at Hisao’s holdings in the Middle East as well. This little girl in pigtails had also pushed both of them out of North America the previous turn.
She smiled and gave a child’s approximation of a haughty woman’s laugh while covering her mouth. Hisao managed a small chuckle at the little display, as did Shizune, (who while not able to hear the laugh, was more than able to appreciate the gestures that she made). Both of them were hoping that the dice would be kind to them. If not, there was another ace in the hole that would save them from inevitable defeat.
It was a quarter to nine on a school night. Soon, their daughter would have to go to bed.
Eri Nakai happily started moving her armies from Australia, overpowering her mother’s forces in Siam, as the dice kept giving her victory after victory. Her deep blue eyes radiated with a delight that caused a smile to grace her father’s face.
Eri put down her dice and grinned. [You’re going to lose, Mommy,] she signed, with a flourish in her gestures.
[Acting like you’ve already won, my little prize?] Shizune signed back in reply, her blue eyes radiating a confident glint of their own.
Hisao laughed to himself at the exchange between the two most important women in his life. Eri had inherited every bit of her mother’s competitive streak. However, as he observed his daughter’s rush to conquer Asia, he noticed that she seemed to be pressing a little too hard and neglecting her defenses. Shizune, he noted, saw it too.
He was also able to notice something his wife could not: Eri was giggling up a storm.
“I’d be careful , Eri-chan”, Hisao said, signing for his wife‘s benefit. “You’re moving very quickly.”
“I have to, Daddy,” she replied. “I have to win this game right now, or else you and Mommy will just send me to bed.”
The remark elicited a catlike grin from Shizune. [Good. So you understand that you must seize the moment. However, your father does have a point. You had better hope that you keep rolling well, my love.]
Eri grinned back in a manner uncannily similar to her mother. [Auntie Misha says I’m good at being lucky.]
Hisao laughed. “If you say so, Riichan.” Of course, Misha gave their new daughter a nickname just like the ones she gave her parents. He looked down at the board and considered his next move.
Over the next couple of rolls, Eri’s luck with the dice began to falter. A series of unlucky rolls meant that her advance through India stopped right when it seemed that victory was inevitable. While she was able to seize China, it cost her a lot of armies and her advance eventually slowed. Frustrated at her lack of progress, she turned her attention to Hisao’s holdings in India and the Middle East, but her luck was no better. This turn was not the triumph that she had hoped for.
She turned to Hisao, resignation in her voice. “Your turn Daddy.”
The game didn’t last much longer after that. As if destined to do so, Shizune Nakai swept her husband and daughter off the board over the next two rounds, smiling as she did so.
[Mommy wins again,] Eri signed, disappointed.
[Don’t be so discouraged, dear. You did very well. You might have won had the dice gone better for you. It was very bold of you to try and win the game in one turn.] She smiled at her daughter and gave Eri a loving pat on the head.
[What does that sign mean?] Eri asked, mimicking the sign [BOLD]
[It means that you are not afraid to try big things,] her mother explained. [That you do what you want to try and get what you want and are not worried about failing or looking foolish.]
“Spoken, it means 'Bold' which you most certainly are,” Hisao interjected.
“But I didn’t win,” Eri sighed, frustration showing in both her voice and her signing.
[No, you didn’t. But you were willing to try. You might have been a little too eager, though, in attempting to take it all in one turn before bedtime.]
Hisao then glanced at his watch. “Which was about fifteen minutes ago, Eri-chan,” he pointed out.
“But Daaadyyyy!” Eri pouted.
“You have school tomorrow,” Hisao replied.
“I want to play another game. You never give me enough time to play!”
[You should have thought of that before you spent half an hour picking at your dinner,] Shizune signed. [Besides, you have a kanji test tomorrow. No daughter of mine is going to do poorly on a test because she didn’t get enough sleep.] She ended with a hard snap of the fingers that gave a hard punctuation to her words. [Eri Nakai, It’s time to go to bed.]
“Pleeeeeeeeeease, Daaadyyyyy!?” Eri looked up at her father with eyes almost like those of a kitten.
Hisao felt a pang of guilt and wondered, briefly, if it would be so bad to let her stay up for a little while longer. However, Shizune had a familiar glare, her hand fidgeting with her glasses. He’d seen that look many times while serving with his wife on the Student Council: it meant that disagreement Would Not Be Allowed. He turned to their daughter and simply said, “Go to bed, Eri.”
Eri let out a small “humph,” before saying, “You’re no fun,” and headed to her room.
[When did we become no fun, Hisao?] Shizune asked her husband.
[When we became parents andhad to start being responsible]
A bittersweet smile crossed Shizune’s face [ She’s worth it, though. She is the most wonderful girl that anyone can hope for.]
Hisao grinned. [Indeed, she is. Though she can be very stubborn at times, like someone else I know.]
This merited a playful (and familiar) “humph” from Shizune as she adjusted her glasses. [You’re the science teacher. Surely you have some understanding of heredity. You knew full well what you were getting into when you chose me to be the mother of your children.]
Hisao tried to keep himself from laughing. [Let’s go tuck her in, shall we?]
Eri’s room could be best described in single word: purple. The closet was filled with clothes and all sorts of board games. Eri herself was sitting on the side of the her purple bed, dressed in a purple gown, clutching an old, worn, stuffed cat toy. When she heard her parents enter the room she gave them a small smile.
“Are you ready for your test tomorrow?” Hisao asked.
“Yes, Daddy,” Eri said, “I’m going to do better than everyone else.”
[Of course you are.] Her mother signed. [You are going to impress your class and show the world what a wonderful little girl you are.] Shizune gave their daughter a familiar-looking catlike smile. Eri simply laughed.
Hisao chuckled at the sight as he took a corner from the covers of his daughter’s bed. “All right, Eri-chan, it’s time to go to bed.”
Eri laid down while her mother placed the covers over her and tucked her in. Shizune leaned forward and gave her daughter a kiss on her cheek and a stroke of her hair. [Good Night, my little prize.]
[Good Night, Mommy and Daddy. Next time I’m going to win,] Eri signed back.
Shizune’s eyes gleamed. She was about to reply, but was interrupted by a hand on her shoulder.
[I think we should let her sleep, my dear,] Hisao signed.
Shizune Nakai (who usually never let anyone else get the last word) simply smiled, a gleam in her eyes promising less family-friendly entertainment later on for her and her husband. They walked to the door and took one last look at their daughter before turning off the lights and closing the door.
In her darkened bedroom, Eri Nakai slept, clutching the cat doll that her father won for her mother many years ago during a School Festival in a place far away.
Great work by the way!