Gamerella (Kenhina Cinderella AU)

Chapter two:

A year passed and Kenma's father's condition got worse and worse, to the point on a cold winter day where they would usually spend the day making snowmen and having snowball fights, instead he was stuck in bed with a cloth on his head. He'd grown pale and weak, barely able to hold his own spoon on his own. And with every passing day Kenma became more and more quiet, Kuroo and his Mother were worried. Kenma would sleep by his father's bad as much as possible, play chess, or read to him. He'd also started doing a small hand held box puzzle he had gotten as a gift. The object of the puzzle was to open the box by arranging the picture on top.

Kenma had always enjoyed puzzles and he'd beg his parents to bring him one back from their travels. But the first time he got a box puzzle he was in love. He could carry it around in his pocket to do when he was bored or didn't want to talk to people. Kuroo could do a few but was often stumped after five minutes, same when they would play chess- he'd gotten better but Kenma was still way ahead of him. It was his mothers favorite game so they often played on days when it was to cold or hot to go outside. They always joked that Kenma got his mother's brains considering how smart and observant the seven year old was.

So he sat across from his father on the bed with a chess board in between them, Kenma played his usual black pieces that were made of glass while his father played the white. Kenma was two moves from getting checkmate and his father was panicking. "You've been playing with your mother to much, i cant beat you anymore."

"Well you can still fence better then me." That was one of his father's passions. He was skilled with the blade- he and Kuroo would spare all the time on hot summer afternoons in the back garden. They accidentally cut a branch off of his mother's rose bush. . . They weren't allowed to spar for a month and had to take care of her garden instead. Kuroo almost killed her lilies and was stuck to watering duty. His sword was displayed on the wall, pure silver hilt wrapped in red silk with a gold tassel, the guard was an intricate design of swirling vines with gold flowers, and the blade was perfectly polished and sharpened. It sheath was made of the same red silk with designs of gold vines. "That sword will be yours one day, or maybe you'll give it to your Prince Charming."

"You think so? That I'll find him one day." Kenma's father smiled softly, he knocked over his king in defeat and moved the bored to open his arms. Kenma crawled into his arms and rested his dread on his silk pajamas. "My dearest Kenma. I know that one day you will find your Prince Charming and he will sweep you away to your happiness. And even if. . . If im not there to see it in person. I want you to know that i will always love you and watch over you. No matter where you go i was will always be there with you in here." He tapped his son's heart and pulled him under the covers to sit with him. He hummed softly soothing his son to sleep silent tears running down his cheeks.

That was the last thing his father had ever said to Kenma.

The funeral was three days later when the snow had fully melted. They buried him under the apple tree's shade, all gathered in black. Kenma hadn't spoke aside from crying into either his mother or Kuroo's arms, the wails of his grieving mother making it even worse. They each placed their favorite flower from the garden, his mother placed a pure red rose, Kuroo three small daises, and Kenma a yellow carnation. He also placed the white chess piece on his father's chest, the knight. It was his favored piece.

He broke down into gushing tears as they covered the casket with dirt, collapsing into Kuroo's arms since his legs couldn't hold him. The other white knight of the set clutched in his small hand as he screamed out heart breaking sobs. He begged for his father to come back, to let this all be a nightmare and he'd wake up to find his dad waking him for the day in the garden. He wished and wished.

But not all wishes come true no matter how much they want it to.