"I'm back," said Yuki as she slid the door open and entered the house that she had grown up in. Yuki's childhood house was a typical Japanese house with 2 floors and an attic. It was built 50 years ago by her grandfather. Standing by the doorway, Yuki was assaulted by a wave of nostalgia. The unchanged wooden flooring, the same slipper arrangement, the fragrance of baked cookies, the inexplicable sense of comfort, Yuki felt as though she had returned to her childhood.
"Yuki dear, you're back! Why are you standing there in a daze? Come in! I've just baked a fresh batch of cookies." An excited voice broke Yuki's reverie. Yuki stared dazed, and her mother's familiar figure came into focus. Airi, Yuki's mother had a wide grin on her face, her eyes flashing with excitement as she stared fondly at her daughter. Yuki felt ashamed upon seeing her mother's excitement. Ever since she left for university two years ago, she had not once returned home. She had revelled in her new-found independence and was also reluctant to leave Naoki's side. Although her family had never once berated her for not returning home, she had always felt a twinge of guilt when they showed a slightly disappointed expression upon hearing her answer.
Yuki smiled as she followed her mother and listened to her excitedly prattle on. She was just as Yuki had remembered, full of life and always chattering.
"Your grandma is going to be so excited to see you! She misses you dearly, as do I. How's school? Is Emina doing fine? What about that boy you're dating? How long will you be staying for?" Airi shot Yuki a barrage of questions, as she led Yuki to the living room. Although Yuki had not returned home, she would however, constantly hologram-call her family, so her mum knew about Naoki.
"Calm down, Mum," Yuki laughed. "I filed for a Leave of Absence from school, so I'll be staying till the start of the next semester. Emina's doing fine, in fact she's enjoying her life tremendously. Regarding Naoki, let's just say… We broke up."
There was a pregnant pause before Airi hesitantly asked another question, "Is your break… due to the break up?" There was another awkward pause as Yuki tried to contain her emotions before nodding slightly. She did not dare speak as she was afraid that she would start crying instead.
"Well… It's good that you're home anyway, it's been a long time since we've had some mother-daughter bonding time! We can go shop to our heart's content tomorrow," Airi chirped, lifting the heavy atmosphere. "Here you go, your favourite cookies, fresh from the oven. I'll go get your grandmother, she's in the attic again, trying to tidy it up. She hasn't changed her habit of constantly trying to tidy the house," Airi gently laughed as she turned to walk up the stairs.
Just then, a loud thud was heard, followed by several smaller thuds, as if something was rolling down the stairs. Yuki and her mother froze, and a soft groan permeated the silence.
"H… he… help…"
"Mother!" Airi screamed as she rushed up the stairs, with Yuki right behind her. When they got to the second floor, they saw Arianna, Yuki's grandmother lying in a small pool of blood, by the stairs that led to the attic. "Mother! Are you okay?" Airi shrieked as she rushed to her mother's still figure. Arianna let out another small groan of pain and her eyelids fluttered weakly, before falling unconscious. Arianna was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance, with Yuki and her mother following behind in their hover car. Seeing her grandmother's pale face and still figure as she was rushed to the surgery theater, Yuki's entire body turned cold with fear.