Day before
Kaoru had went home after his run-in with Arietta and Jonathan. To his dismay, Kyoko had beaten him there. He tried to sneak past the brunette sitting on the living room couch and start his chores undetected, but to no avail. He was hoping she hadn't notice that they were incomplete, but Kyoko stood, frowning at the blue haired boy. She instantly approached, arms crossed and definitely angry with him.
"Kaoru.." She began, his eyes instantly shutting, awaiting his scolding. He was used to getting yelled at, Kyoko was like the mom he never had, considering his died when he was still a baby..
"Kyoko.. I can explain, I got held up at school.. I'll do my chores now.." He raised his hands, keeping his eyes held shut. Worst case scenario she'd smack him upside the head for being irresponsible. He could handle it, but the look on her face was always scarier than the actual hit. He'd rather not see it coming.
"Idiot! I'm not mad about that... I heard what happened at the school.. I've been calling you all day!" She snapped, pulling Kaoru into a tight hug, "Don't ever worry me like that again.. You stupid kid.." He could barely breathe in the older girl's embrace, and he winced a bit. He'd been taken completely by surprise.. She wasn't even worried about the dishes and the laundry... She was worried about me? He smiled a bit as he returned the embrace, eventually prying himself from the college student's grasp.
"I'm sorry Kyo.. I wasn't hurt so I didn't think.. Gomen ne.." He apologized. He got straight to his chores as Kyoko cooked dinner. The two of them joked and played around, but Kaoru was still a little off..
"What's wrong Kao-chan?" She asked, eyes blinking with curiousity. She grabbed his chin forcefully, making sure he couldn't avoid her question, "Did something happen that you're not telling me about?" She asked with a pout on her face, prepared to keep this conversation going all night if he didn't give her the answers she was seeking.
"A friend of mine died in the accident.. He had a severe allergy..." Kaoru mumbled, tugging his face from her grasp, "He was the only friend I had made at the time.. I mean.. I've got another guy I hang out with.. I just knew Var since the beach trip started.."
She went over and brushed his hair, "Well.. things like this happen... Just go show his family your respect. I bet he'd like that.. ne?" She smiled to him, "I'll give you some money to go buy something nice for the funeral." They spent the rest of the night watching movies until Kaoru passed out on the couch. Kyoko waited until then to turn off the TV, smiling at the sleeping boy. She left momentarily to grab him a blanket and tucked him in careful to not disturb his sleep, "Goodnight, Kao-chan.."
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Present Day
Kaoru woke up bright and early, rubbing his eyes as the sun poured into the living room. He sat up stretching, a couple bones popping as he yawned. Couches definitely aren't good for the back.. He thought as he rose, folding the blanket Kyoko grabbed him. He could smell breakfast, and he stepped into the kitchen, "Ohayo, Kyo-chan.. I'm going to go shower.." he mumbled, barely even coherent. He trudged to his room, opening the door and grabbing a change of clothes before shuffling to the bathroom. He tossed his spare clothes on the sink and turned the shower on. Varthur's funeral is today... I better go rent a suit and get the family something..
Once he got out, Kaoru entered the kitchen again, shaking his hair off before sitting down. It earned him a frown from Kyoko, but she let it slide, "What are you going to do after you pay your respects to the family?" She asked him as she ate, taking a sip from her coffee as she awaited the boy's answer. Kaoru blinked a bit, pouring his own cup before answering her.
"I was thinking about hanging out with a few kids from school.." He didn't want to mention that two of the 'kids from school' were female, because Kyoko would nag him the rest of the morning about it. He'd never get to live it down. Sometimes he wondered if this is truly how mother's treated their children or if Kyoko was just psychotic and obsessed. He hoped it was normal, he didn't want to think about Kyoko holding a knife while smiling creepily down at him as he slept. He almost choked on his toast as the mental image popped into his head.
To shake the disturbing thought, Kaoru brought out his phone, logging into Facebook. He then looked up Momo, and after a little digging, added her. Then, he instantly proceeded in sending her a message, "Hey, Momo.. I gave Sera my number and asked if you guys wanted to hang out with me and Jonathan at the Arcade. Another girl might be coming, so it's just a bunch of us hanging out.. Are you coming? :D - Kaoru"