Flesh & Bone (OMORI AU)

Chapter 35: Naomi

Francine was sitting in her makeshift office in the old warehouse, staring at the strange device she took so much time into retrieving again. It looked like a gun. Francine lightly pulled the trigger, a thick needle emerging from the end. Francine grazed a finger lightly over the top with a sigh.

"It's not going to be fun. For either of us."

There was a knock on the door. Francine flinched, becoming defensive as she could see the outline of a figure outside the fogged up windows. She then heard a voice.

"Francine, we need to talk... please let me in."

It was Ayaka. What was Ayaka doing here? Francine knew the kids were having their Thanksgiving dinner, so why wasn't Ayaka there with them? Francine got up from her desk and slowly unlocked the door, peering through the crack to look down at Ayaka.

"Why are you here?"

"Like I said, I want to speak with you..."

"And why is that?"

"For fucks sake Francine just let me in and I'll explain." Ayaka glared, putting a hand on one of her hips.

After letting her in, Francine leaned against a nearby wall with an unimpressed expression. "Touch anything and I will kill you."

"You wouldn't do that. I know you still love me." Ayaka sighed.

Francine felt her face growing hot. "Why would I? Its been almost twenty five years since we broke up, Ayaka."

"Anyway.." Ayaka closed her eyes. "I need to know if my daughter will be safe while the ritual is done. I don't wish for her to be harmed as she returns to her grave. I know you aren't great at handling rituals safely, which is why this started in the first place, so I'm willing to help. For the sake of Mari."

"Wait you're helping me do it?!"

"Didn't I just say that?" Ayaka couldn't help but smile slightly, but it vanished once she realized. She cleared her throat. "I want Mari to be more comfortable while she leaves us again. I want her to know she is loved. I.. I don't want Sunny to see her suffering again."

"Since when did you care about Sunny?"

"Well my daughter helped me to realize how shitty of a parent I've been... and it's mostly because I was bitter about her passing. It was foolish. Sunny didn't do it on purpose... he was angry... and.."

"It reminds me of when you got upset with me after a failed ritual and accidentally stabbed me with the inulator."

"You remember that? That was in high school when we invented it... Do you still have one?"

Francine smiled a little, pointing to the device on her desk. It was called an inulator. Ayaka rushed over, gasping as she held it in her hands.

"This is the last one we made together l, it still has our initials burned into it... why is Aubrey's hair stuck in the holster?"

Francine chuckled nervously. "She tried taking it from me, I don't know the rest."

"Why would you still have this? I thought..."

"That I hated you for feeling how you did? Never. I was bitter, angry, sure, but never hated you. It's hard for me to do that."

"But I hurt you because I was upset. I... I just wanted to bring her back..."

Francine frowned, sighing softly. "I'm sorry things never worked out.. I was foolish.. and I wasn't there when you gave birth to her.."

Ayaka felt tears welling in her eyes. "I wanted her to have a fulfilling life. With her sister... eventually her little brother... now i brought back my other daughter and things are somehow worse.."

Francine stepped forward, expecting Ayaka to recoil, but she looked at her with a sad gleam in her eyes. She was strangely beautiful when she cried. Francine hesitated to place her hand on Ayaka's shoulder.

"Naomi had an unfortunate birth. I'm sorry, I really tried to bring her back... I... I messed up like I always do..." Francine chuckled sadly, her lips trembling.

Ayaka sighed softly, putting her hands in her coat's pockets. "The day that they were born... when John was the sperm donor... I was so happy. Mari was perfectly healthy, but Naomi... her lungs were too small... she couldn't breathe... and she... I was able to take her body to preserve it but we tried to bring her back instead and..."

"I know. I know what I did ruined everything. The look on her face... it haunts me to this day... I didn't mean to hurt you or Naomi.."

"Just please make sure Mari doesn't suffer. I cant bear to see her suffering like she was."

"I promise... but I think you need to tell your kids about Naomi before Mari leaves us."

"I... I wanted to wait until they were both adults.."

"Sunny is almost one, right? Mari is technically an adult. They both seem mature considering what they went through." Francine smiled softly.

"Heh, remember when we took Mari home and the first thing she did was scream in the apartment?" Ayaka laughed a bit.

"That was horrendous." Francine snorted. "She kept chasing Billy around but she was crawling on the carpet. She was so fast it scared the shit out of me."

"How's Billy? Is he still around?"

"Billy is kicking. He's really old but hey, he's a happy pup."

"I'd love to see him....  no.."

"No what?"

"I shouldn't be talking to you like this after what you did."

"It was an accident. Just like how Sunny's problem was an accident. If you can forgive him why cant you forgive me?"

"Because you hurt my daughter!"

"So did he, Ayaka!" Francine scowled, Ayaka growing silent with her eyes wide.

Francine hurt Naomi when trying to revive her. Sunny killed Mari by pushing her down the stairs. Why hadn't she thought about that? She was a hypocrite. Francine didn't do anything wrong... she was just trying to make them happy.

A happy family.

"I'm so stupid- why didn't I...??" She sobbed.

"Blinded by rage. I know how it feels."

"Why were you threatening the kids though?"

"I wanted them to let me do what I needed to do. I wouldn't hurt them on purpose..."

Ayaka rubbed her eyes, sniffling as she mumbled curses under her breath. Francine pulled her into a hug out of instinct, resting her head in the crane of her neck.

"I'm glad you and John were able to have a happily family for a while. I'm sorry that I couldn't provide for you and Mari..."

"..I'm sorry for not thinking things through."