Back in the Home

Len stopped his bike, pulling it to a halt as he looked up at his house. Whew... weirdo. He thought, shivering to himself as he remembered that weird kid who Ayame had said was her brother. However; she was with him at his house now, so there was a good chance she would be safe. Len kicked down the kickstand of the feather cycle, his red hair blowing around slightly as he leaped off the bike, making sure that Ayame didn't fall. He picked her up off the bike, before carrying her inside of his house. He opened the door with his foot, used to doing it this way when he was too busy using his tablet to open it normally.

He walked inside of his home, laying her on the couch that he had in his living room, before he himself went into the kitchen. He got ready, preparing some pancakes as he grabbed a pan, some batter, and filled a bowl with water. He mixed in the batter, before pouring it in the full-moon pan. He flipped it over and over, until at last, he had a giant, delicious pancake. He went over to his fridge, grabbing syrup, whip cream, and strawberries. He made a smiley face on the pancake with the whip cream, put the straw berries on the cream for eyes, and topped it with drizzlings of syrup.

He then walked back into the living room, setting the pancakes on the small desk that he had in front of his couch. He sat down in the chair opposite, and waited, waited for her to wake up. She's probably traumatized... hopefully this will help her feel better... He thought; alone with his own thoughts for the moment as he awaited for her to awaken...

~Ayame Tokumoto~
~House Guest of Moruykuna Len~


~FF7 Remastered-On That Day, Five Years Ago~

As Len was stopping, Ayame was still dreaming of her good days when her parents are kinder than she portrayed back at the high school. The breakfast was sweet and after she finishes it, she jumps off the chair and her little body bounces on landing a one-eighty spin to grab her backpack. However, the scene dramatically changes as she sees a train burning in a wreck in a city location, just near the train station. Her heart stops at the sight as her youthful eyes are wide opened, tears flow out of her eyes as a man in a t-shirt, jeans and a fedora hat stands on air with a twisted smile on his face as the train soon explodes like a bomb going off. He said something, but little Ayame cannot make it out as her mother picks her up and runs away with Ayame in her arms. She screams out something, but the dream silenced her as while she is on the couch outside of her dream, Len can see that she is having a nightmare from how she flinches in her sleep. Back in her dream, the scene changes quickly to a gravesite in the Karakura Graveyard where little Ayame was embracing her mother’s right leg while tears overwhelmed her face.

As the priest closes his book, the scene changes instantly, showing her mother holding a book as she appears shocked. At the moment, it seems that little Ayame was in story time with her mother before a man silhouetted by the daylight out of the opened front door. The mother whispered something before she walks to the man in a daze. Little Ayame turns around to follow her mother, but saw the man. It is as though she recognizes the man, but she was in denial in her little mind. She was shouting out something to her mother as the mother hugs the man. Soon the room becomes longer, separating little Ayame from her mother every second that passed. She abruptly wakes up on the couch in Len’s house with a quick sit up. In the haste of her rising, she shouted, “He’s not Papa!” Ayame looks around and notices that she is not outside and she is in a place unfamiliar to her. Before her was a familiar sight as her frightful face locks onto Len. She looks down at the small desk as she slowly sits upright facing Len. She spots a plate of pancakes made into a smiley face with syrup, whipped cream, and a pair of strawberries. She looks at Len with the frightful face dying to a calmer face. “How long was I out? Was it all a dream?” Ayame asks Len despairingly.

Len blinked as he watched her sit up, crying something out. Huh... who's not papa? He wondered briefly, before he saw her face. He tried giving her what seemed like a kind smile as she sat upright. "Hmm... You couldn'tve been out more than an hour or two." Len said, waiting for a few moments to allow her to calm down a bit. "And as for a dream... I'm afraid... that I have be be honest with you, Ayame. Your brother is a terrible, terrible person. However... the last thing that you saw before you went... out was in protest of him. Which is why I brought you back to my home. It's got to be better than whatever it was that you had there. The human said, a determined look on his face, but also a soft one.

"I never had a family... so I don't really know what's right and what isn't. However... that... just... wasn't right; it couldn't be right, especially for what it did to you. So I brought you back here. I hope that's alright with you. I even made you some food." He said, pointing down to the pancake with a fork and knife next to it. "...I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable by bringing you here... I just... couldn't stand the thought of you being there... all alone like that; and have to go back to a place that from where I'm sitting it looked like you couldn't have liked. However, I can stop talking about it if you wish. I suppose that's my real question for you, my guest." He said, his eyes shifting a small amount while he was speaking on the parts where he mentioned that she would most likely want him to stop talking; before glancing right up at her in the face again. "What do you want, Ayame?"

~Ayame Tokumoto~
~House Guest of Moruykuna Len~


~FF7 Remastered-Sending A Dream Into the Universe~

As Len was answering her question, she remembers how cruel her brother was, thus why she resented him for a long time. When he reaches to the conclusion it is better than she would have received back at her house, she nods to confirm that it is better for her to live with him than to live with them. Unlike the students and the teachers, Len was genuinely concerned for her. When he mentions about not having a family, Ayame was surprised that he is just as lonely as she is, and yet knows that her family was terrible, though she wished her family would stay like a family and not be so horrific. He points out that the pancake was for her along with the fork and knife. She grasps her hands together and lightly bows to Len, “Arigotto, Moruykuna-dono.” She referred Len as the master of the house since she is a guest, implying that her family was not bad to begin with since she was taught proper manners. Then she grasps her fork and knife to enjoy the pancake that Len made for her. From the medical drama, a passed out person would be starving because they cannot eat or drink while passed out, and it turns out true for her because she did not have a proper breakfast like she does as a child.

The pancake was wheat-tasting while sweetened with buttermilk, whipped cream and syrup. She even picks off the strawberries gracefully with the fork instead of stabbing it into them before carrying them into her mouth with her fork. While Len was apologizing for bringing her here, she smiles calmly as the pancake helps her forget the cruelty of her family. “I don’t mind you speaking about it.” Ayame speaks without happiness or sorrow, it is like it was kept inside and she needs someone who can listen to her, “I preferred to stay with you than with my family; where my broken mama, an imposter papa and a cruel brother lived.” She sighs as she enjoys every bite of the pancake. “My mother is innocent, yet ever since the imposter came into our lives, things changed and my mother was forbidden to talk to me by the imposter. It’s not right of me to speak against my family or to allow them to be hurt, but something is not right and my mother did nothing about it.” Ayame tells Len with defeat in her tone.

"Sounds like a bad drama..." Len said to himself, reclining in his chair with his mouth set in a small line, not disapproving or negative, just perhaps a little unsettled. "And I take it that at least for the most part, you are unable to stop it? Do you still care for your mother?" He asked her, blinking. "That just... sounds like a tortured life. I'm happy that I could at least take you out of it." He said, before blinking, glancing up and then back down. "Oh yeah. Just Len is fine, Ayame." He said, nodding. "You may be my guest, but I want to treat me as a friend. Alright?" He confirmed with a smile.

Then he got up, waiting for her to finish the pancakes. "...Hmm. I guess I'm moving to the chair then." He said, nodding. "You see... there is one other who lives here as well. She has the bed; and I had the couch before I found you. So; I'll merely sleep in the chair. And no, that is not negotiable. I will not allow my guest, my friend, to have something less than myself in my home. So, while you're here, you can relax and enjoy the comforts of my home." He said, smiling again.

"Would you care for a tour of the house?"

~Ayame Tokumoto~
~House Guest of Moruykuna Len~


~FF7 Remastered-Waltz De Chocobo~

“Uh-huh, I have nothing to help my mother and I cared about her as she is the only parent I have left ever since my real papa was killed by a human with power over light or electricity…I can’t tell what happened, but it was a flash of light and the train my papa was on was destroyed and exploded after the crash like a bomb was inside.” Ayame describes how her current father was an imposter “I’m thankful for you to save me from this, Len.” Ayame thanks after hearing that Len prefers to be called “Len.” Seeing Len smile brings a smile to Ayame’s face as well. A friend is all she needs and she lost one, only to gain a new friend. “…Hmm. I guess I’m moving to the chair then.” Len says as he nods, “You see… there is one other who lives here as well. She has the bed; and I had the couch before I found you. So; I’ll merely sleep in the chair.” Ayame does not want to be interfering Len’s lifestyle, but before she could make a suggestion, Len cuts her off with a smile, “And no, that is not negotiable. I will not allow my guest, my friend, to have something less than myself in my home. So, while you’re here, you can relax and enjoy the comforts of my home.” All that kindness and Ayame was trying to think of a way to make it up to him because he went out of his way to help her, a stranger who originally was just curious about him.

It was a while before Ayame finishes her pancake and savored the last bite-sized piece of the pancake with a radiant joy on her face. It is rather nostalgic to her and she likes it as she gets up and picks up the plate with the fork and knife resting on top of it, ready to be put into the sink for washing. “I will like the tour. I’ll be looking for a way to help around the place since I’ll be staying a- Oh…I have to study for the finals! At least this is better than what would be like, but I still have to study for them!” Ayame speaks for a moment, but begins to freak out about the time she lost to study for her exams. She quickly hands the plate to Len and looks around for her shoulder bag so she can start studying on the small desk. She finds the shoulder bag on the foot of couch and picks it up before rummaging through it for her school books. From the bag, she pulls out a couple of worn textbooks and a couple notebooks from her bag and places them onto the desk with a couple a thuds, then she pulls out a couple of mechanical pencils and a solitary notebook labeled, “Final Notes: Study Guide.” After looking through her things, she starts flipping through her math textbook that seemingly out of date by ten years.

At least she seems to be enjoying her pancake... Len thought with a smile as she finished off the meal he had given her. He blinked as he watched her suddenly stop mid sentence and turn around, saying she needed to study for them, as she handed the plate to him. He stuttered "Um... o-ok then..." as he turned around walking back into the kitchen, placing the dish in the sink, thinking. Then he turned back around, walking into the room.

"...So you're going to go back there? At least for the Final Exams, I can understand... but... still..." He trailed off, thinking to himself. "And your books... those... ... no. He said simply. "If you're going to live under my roof, you're going to have proper materials." He said as he reached back behind the couch, grabbing his tablet. "After all... I'm responsible for you. And the same thing I said before; you're welcome to anything in my home." He said as he checked the title of Ayame's book, and with a few finger tips he "found" the latest one, spinning the screen around. "There. Use that. If you've not used a computer before, just use the little button there in the middle and press down on it to move around; click to move the pages you need to study." He said with a smile on his face. "...And who knows? You might even have a new teacher... I discussed some things with the old one, and he seemed to agree with me that the way he was doing things was quite wrong. Or rather..." He sighed, being completely truthful. "He disgusted me by what he said of you... and so I put him to sleep for a while. He'll be fine; but he'll remember what I told him. So, you don't have anything to worry about." Len said, with a bright smile on his face. "I'm going to help you any way I can... so that... you don't feel how I did.." He trailed off, remembering his own past, and the terrible schooling that he had at the orphanage...

~Ayame Tokumoto~
~House Guest of Moruykuna Len~


~FF7 Remastered-Flowers Blooming in the Church~


“…So you’re going to go back there? A least for the Final Exams, I can understand… but… still…” Len speaks for his concerns, “And your books… those… … no. If you’re going to live under my roof, you’re going to have proper materials.” Ayame watches Len reaches behind the couch and grabs an electronic tablet. Ayame heard about the tablet since some of the nerdy students used them for researching, yet she has not used them at all, let alone actual computers. “After all… I’m responsible for you. And the same thing I said before; you’re welcome to anything in my home.” Len said as he looks at the front of Ayame’s math textbook. Ayame watches with amazement that within a few flicks of a finger and Len produced the current edition of the math textbook in a small tablet that she can interact for her studying. From her astonished face, she was not introduced to electronics properly either. “There. Use that. If you’ve not used a computer before, just use the little button there in the middle and press down on it to move around; click to move the pages you need to study.” Len informs Ayame with a smile. “…And who knows? You might even have a new teacher… I discussed some things with the old one, and he seemed to agree with me that the way he was doing things was quite wrong. Or rather…” Len sighs as if he is going to tell the truth, “He disgusted me by what he said of you… and so I put him to sleep for a while. He’ll be fine; but he’ll remember what I told him. So, you don’t have anything to worry about.”

Ayame was mildly surprised that Len actually hurt the teacher for what he said about her and spared him. At this very moment, Ayame is convinced by Len that not all humans with powers are murderous psychopaths like that man who killed her father and the boy who killed her best friend. Maybe there are those who actually take responsibilities for their actions and used their powers for good. “I’m going to help you any way I can… so that… you don’t feel how I did..” With a hushed, but audible voice, Ayame comforts Len with a soothing tone of an innocent child, “As along you don’t kill a human, even if they deserved it, I’m happy being with you in any way.” She looks through the tablet and astonishingly, she reveals that she can learn quicker than average as she goes through pages and pages in intervals of less than ten seconds. Probably because of her reading habit evident from the medical drama novel hanging out of her shoulder bag with a bookmark in the middle of the whole book. “Len; I’m glad that I ran into you before it happened. Akira’s death made me see things in a way that now I wanted my brother stopped and save my mama from the imposter. However, considering my brother is a hero, we cannot touch him because the law protects him as both a volunteered crime fighter and a child. The imposter, I don’t know what he did to make my mama believed he is my papa. I don’t know where to start.” Ayame admits to Len now that she trusts him to help her find a way.

"Ayame... I don't even think I could bring myself to kill a human." Len said, his voice direct and purposeful. His eyes glanced briefly at her shoulder bag, noticing the book hanging half out of it. However, he frowned a small amount without saying anything. I need to let her study. he decided, before hearing what she said.

"A hero. A hero who murders for petty crime? That's no more than an over glorified bully. WE have logic and intelligence on our side. And Freddie." He said, patting the sword on his right hip with a smile on his face. "If you wanted a place to start... I'd try someone that could actually take him down and force him to think. From where I'm sitting; he's either an extremely cruel brat or a misguided kid who doesn't understand the consequences. And even if the law protects him; what good is a law like that? We live in a country where we can speak out if we wish to. We may be ignored or persecuted; but we most certainly can do it." He said, knowing that Japan, and Karakura especially, was free for the most part.

"And if we keep shouting out... we will eventually be heard. However... your mother, from the sounds of it, just needs to get away from that impostor. I don't care what he thinks he's doing, or what your mom does; this needs to stop. Someone that you care about... has..." He trailed off, before taking a deep breath. "In any case, this is too muh. We will deal with it. I will help you if you want me too, with what little I do have." He determined, nodding his head. "However... for now, it'd probably be best if you finished studying." He said as he himself began to recline in his chair, feeling the sensation as his red hair turned back to its normal yellow-gold. Ah, there we are. He thought to himself as he continued to wait for Ayame, making himself comfortable in the chair...

~Ayame Tokumoto~
~House Guest of Moruykuna Len~


~FF8 Remastered-The Oath~

Hearing that Len cannot kill a human being, Ayame feels assured that she picked the right hero during the time she woke up from her faint. “A hero. A hero who murders for petty crime? That’s no more than an overglorified bully. WE have logic and intelligence on our side. And Freddie.” Len says as he displays that Freddie is his sword on his right hip. He even smiles with the confidence that Ayame sees as aspiring like a true hero will be. “If you wanted a place to start… I’d try someone that could actually take him down and force him to think. From where I’m sitting; he’s either an extremely cruel brat or a misguided kid who doesn’t understand the consequences. And even if the law protects him; what good is a law like that? We live in a country where we can speak out if we wish to. We may be ignored or persecuted; but we most certainly can do it.” Len speaks like it is a motivational speech, “And if we keep shouting out… we will eventually be heard. However… your mother, from the sounds of it, just needs to get away from that impostor. I don’t care what he thinks he’s doing, or what your mom does; this needs to stop. Someone that you care about… has…” Ayame attentively studies, but she smiles to show that she is listening. Len takes a deep breath before concluding the speech, “In any case, this is too much. We will deal with it. I will help you if you want me too, with what little I do have. However… for now, it’d probably be best if you finished studying.” Ayame can hear the squeaking of the chair as Len reclines.

By now, Ayame is motivated to do well in her finals and transition to Senior year after the summer break. The thought of going out on a summer break will be a pipe dream for Ayame’s situation, she wanted her mother to be safe and her brother and the imposter taken down. With the law protecting her brother, maybe they are not aware of his activities and turn a blind eye because he is a child and it was a common concept that children cannot do much damage. She saw what her brother has become and she wants him to stop before he gets killed. Being the kid’s “sister,” Ayame would feel guilty of knowing he is killed for his actions. As for the imposter, Ayame would care less about him. He manipulated her mother and it is enough to make Ayame hate his guts. Already, two pages of her note book was covered in formulas and practice examples from the math texts in the tablet as she flips through them quickly. Her eyes widened as Len could figuratively see the numbers running across her sparkling eyes of a scholar. Left, right, up, down, and all in different arrays of order and combinations, Ayame was definitely all over the critical areas of what she needs to know. Perhaps, Ayame could eventually be useful in researching or identifying something that Len could not tell what it is.