yun_miyake (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
yun_miyake) wrote2015-03-03 08:22 am
yun_miyake) wrote2015-03-03 08:22 am
cul-de-sac chapter 9 (end)
Title : Cul-de-sac
Pairing : Yama/Junba/Sakumoto
Genre : angst, domestic drama, romance, m-preg universe
Length : chapters
Rating : PG - 13
Disclaimer : It was just my imagination
Summary : That summer was just a beginning of their long windy road. Sho had worked very hard to gather his missing puzzles by Ohno’s help, but it scattered all over again and this time, even Ohno couldn’t lend him a hand or he was the one who declined it…
This chapter is unbetaed, sorry for the error grammars
The time for Jun to take his maternity leaving had come; the hospital offered a substitute doctor, but Sho denied the idea. He couldn’t imagine himself spending the time with other person than Jun at the same room. He decided to come back to the city for a while and arranged his mind there. Aiba helped them again and said that he and Jun would be waiting for them to visit the village.
Sho leaned to the window at the backseat with Kazu’s head on his lap. The day they returned to the city was raining. Aiba and Ohno chatted along the way and asked for his opinion once in a while; Sho only answered with short ‘mmm’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘sort of’ and continued his daydreaming again. Jun said that he was improving, that his heart and mind wasn’t as swallow as before. Sho brushed Kazu’s hair unconsciously, feeling his warmth. He would give a birth again and he felt a little bit scared; but he won’t let himself drown like he used to be, he must be strong for Ohno and for Kazu.
“Sho, we’re here,” Ohno shook his shoulder.
He had fallen asleep without him realizing it. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adapt to the strong light. Kazu had already awakened ahead of him and listened to Aiba’s joke; Sho jumped down off the car and took his suitcase in the car’s trunk.
“Welcome home,” Ohno said.
Sho lifted his head towards the third floor; the house he had left for almost three months in a raw. He didn’t particularly miss this place; but Ohno loved the city and it would be so selfish if he asked the man to move.
“Kazu, come here,” Ohno called the kid. Aiba patted Kazu’s head for the last time and letting him run towards Ohno.
“Aibakun, thanks for everything,” Ohno said as he shook the tailor’s hand. “I’m so glad that I met you.”
Aiba’s lips curved into a humble smile, “You’re welcome, and thanks to you that Jun had found his favorite baker,” he said. “He had good time with Shochantoo, I think he likes you so much.”
Sho gave a slight nod, “I’ll miss him,” he said.
“Hey, you can visit him anytime you want to,” Aiba beamed, “we’ll be waiting for you to come again.”
“We will,” Ohno answered.
Sho nodded again and shook Aiba’s hand as well. The tailor hugged Kazu tightly before leaving; the three of them waved at the man until the car couldn’t be seen anymore.
“Sho, let me carry them,” Ohno said as he grabbed the suitcase from his hand, “you need a long sleep,” he smiled.
“You’re right,” Sho yawned, “Kazu too, you need to take a rest,” he looked at his son whose eyes were almost closed. “Come on,” he lifted the boy and followed Ohno’s steps towards the stairs.
The house was cleaner than what Sho remembered. Ohno had done some changes on the furniture positions; somehow it made the house looked a little bit larger. Sho lay Kazu down on the bed, covered him with the blanket and returned to the dining room.
“Do you want a cup of coffee?” Ohno asked.
“Yes, please,” Sho answered. He pulled the chair and sat down there; he inhaled deeply to feel the air. It had been three months, it felt so short though. He glanced at his watch; it showed 9 pm, Jun had already finished washing the dishes at this hour.
“Here,” Ohno put down the cup in front of him.
“Thanks,” Sho looked at Ohno, “I think I’m fine now,” he said. “I want to start working as soon as possible.”
“Don’t need to be in a rush,” Ohno extended his hand to hold Sho’s, squishing it softly.
“I want to go to the bakery,” Sho hold the cup with his left hand and sipped the coffee carefully. “It’s been a while since I went there.”
Ohno nodded, agreeing.
They went to bed after talking endlessly about everything. Sho snuggled to Ohno’s skinny chest and let the man wrap him protectively. He closed his eyes while listening to Ohno’s heartbeat. Everything would turn out fine, he thought. Ohno was always there, Jun was always there and he still had Kazu and the unborn baby inside him. He was loved more than he thought.
***
Jun gave a birth to a baby girl a month later. Aiba called to inform them about the happy news. The tailor spoke loudly, that even Sho could hear him from five meters distance.
“We’ll visit them,” Ohno told Sho after ending his call with the super-excited Aiba.
“We have to buy something as a present,” Sho put down the iron, smiling at Ohno.
“Sho,” Ohno rose off of the chair and approached him, “have you ever thought about moving?”
Sho lifted his eyebrows; the topic was too sudden. Ohno had never mentioned anything about moving before this. “Moving?” he confirmed.
Ohno nodded.
“Where to?”
“To the place where you can feel happy and peace,” Ohno searched for something inside his pocket and put it in Sho’s hand.
A key.
“Only if you say yes,” Ohno continued. “If you don’t want to, then we’ll use that house as our vacation house. We can go there once in a month.”
“Wait,” Sho gripped the key tighter, confirming it wasn’t a fake thing. “I don’t get you, what house? Where? When? How?” he blabbered.
“I think Aiba’s village is where you can feel more relax, so I have talked with Ogura and he agreed to lend me some money to open a small bakery there,” Ohno explained, as if he had prepared what he would say. “Kazu can go to the nearest local kindergarten and you can teach piano too…”
“Satoshi…” Sho interrupted, “you can’t just…”
“I have talked to Aiba and Jun, they are more than glad to know it.”
Sho left his ironed clothes just like that and gave Ohno a tight hug. This was too much; Ohno even knew him more than what he thought.
“You did it for me, this is unfair.”
“I like that village, honestly,” Ohno said, rubbing his back softly. “Besides, I will be happy if you’re happy. Life in the village seems simpler and easier.”
Sho lost his words; he tightened his embrace, burying his head to Ohno’s neck. The man had done so much for him, meanwhile he did nothing. He promised himself that he would be a better partner and a better parent for Kazu and his upcoming baby.
“Thank you,” he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
***
Jun’s baby was as beautiful as Jun himself. Sho held the newly born child in his arms for long enough before Aiba reminding him that it was too late for lunch. The village was quiet and peaceful that day, the drizzle wetted the earth, sending a cold wind through the crack of the windows.
“Sho san, have you moved your stuff to your new house?” Jun asked.
“Just a half of it,” Sho answered, helping Jun to fix his blanket, “Satoshi will take care of them next week.”
“Maybe I’ll quit my job in the hospital,” Jun said. He glanced at the door;Aiba was outside, changing their baby’s diapers. “I have talked with Masaki, it’s for the best.”
“Maybe we can work as tomatoes picker,” Sho chuckled. Jun’s lips curved into a wide smile as he heard that.
“Yeah, why not.”
“Sho chan, eat your lunch or I’ll be so mad.”
Aiba’s voice was heard from outside. Sho gave Jun a last quick glance before heading the dining room. Aiba had prepared spectacular Chinese food, along with a big glass of milk. Sho could only smile in disbelief, thinking how to eat them all.
He could hear Ohno’s laughter from the other part of the house. Aiba’s father was there and he had a good sense of humor; maybe he was entertaining Ohno with his anecdotes. Sho listened to them while enjoying his lunch. Ohno had taken care of their stuff, even though he hadn’t finished the things with Wonderland Bakery, but it didn’t matter now. They would move here anytime soon; they had decided that Sho and Kazu would stay here; meanwhile Ohno settled his business at the city. He lifted the spoon to his mouth; Aiba’s cooking was delicious and before he realized it; he had almost finished all of them.
***
The sky was so bright that day; sending its warmth to the earth – even though the early winter air blocked most of it.There was only a small amount of clouds in the eastern sky, forming weird shapes. Ohno had just finished preparing the ingredients and the equipment for today; he checked how long he had before opening his bakery. It was still 7 in the morning; yet the small street in front of the bakery had already filled by the students.
“Kazu, your hat,” Sho chased the kid towards the front door which was connected directly with the bakery.
“Hey, my little knight,” Ohno welcomed his son who wrapped his knee happily. “Ready for school?”
Kazu nodded enthusiastically.
“Jun said that he is full of confidence,”Sho informed. “Come on, Kazu, the school bus will come anytime soon.”
Kazu released his hands off of Ohno’s knee, letting his father give him a soft pat on his head and followed Sho towards the exit.
Ohno watched them walking out; he smiled at himself. The decision on moving from the city was the right thing. He could work on his own pace here, Sho could manage himself better and Kazu was accepted the way he was. Jun had decided to become a kindergarten teacher as he quitted his job at the hospital and Ohnowas really grateful for that. Kazu wouldn’t have progressed that much, if it wasn’t because of Jun.
Sho had entered his sixth month and he turned more rounded – in a good way. He taught piano at the nearest elementary school for the extracurricular activity and helped Aiba’s father at the tomato farm if he had enough time. He had no time to drown into his never ending sorrow like he used to be.
“Kazu had departed to school,” Sho said as he returned inside, wearing his apron.
“He looks excited,” Ohno commented, approaching Sho. He touched Sho’s belly softly, measuring its size.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming our new baby,” Sho said, leaning closer towards Ohno.
“I’m glad that you had overcome your emotion so well,” Ohno pulled Sho to give him a quick kiss on his lips. “And your willingness to cook the dinner,” Ohno chuckled.
“Except that I can’t cook as well as you,” Sho complained. He pulled himself further from Ohno and took the mixer to continue the unfinished work.
“I never complain,” Ohno shrugged. He pulled a chair and had Sho sat on it. “I love your cooking.”
“Including the tasteless tempura that I made for you last night?”
Ohno nodded.
“Liar,” Sho mumbled, but Ohno could see his face glowed in embarrassment and he found it very cute.
They continued working in silence until it the time to open the shop had come. Ohno flipped the ‘close’ sign to ‘open’ and changed his apron to the cleaner one. He looked to the far horizon; letting the sunshine envelope him. The soft wind hit his face as if whispering good morning; he stretched his arms and waited for the customers.
***
Sho had never imagined that Kazu would grow into a normal boy. He had turned fourteen this summer and would face his first exam of junior high school. He did great on academic as well as music – since he played guitar and piano; Sho was very proud of him and paid his debt by supporting his son as much as he could – making lunch box was one of them.
“Kazu, don’t forget this,” Sho said as he pushed an umbrella to Kazu’s hand.
“Thanks. I’ll be coming home late today,” the boy said, shouldering his heavy rucksack.
“I’ll tell your papa,” Sho accompanied the teenager towards the front door and opened it for him. They did some renovation to their house and now, the bakery and the main house was separated properly.
It was a hot Sunday morning; Kazu would go to the city with his friends for summer festivals. Sho accidentally saw something on Kazu’s phone where he found a sweet message from a girl named Yuriko – he couldn’t believe that his little Kazu had already mesmerized the girls around him.
“Kazu niichan, don’t forget the lucky-charm.”
“Thank you, Anna,” Kazu said to a nine-year-old Anna whose smile was so wide. The boy stepped outside and waved good bye.
“Nii-chan has many girlfriends,” the girl said out of the blue, “but my approval is just for Sera chan.”
Sho laughed over the surprising statement, “Let’s visit Sera chan today then,” he said to his daughter.
“She’s still on vacation with uncle Jun,” she said while taking origami papers from the drawer. “Papa is too busy for a vacation,” she protested.
“Your papa is a true worker,” Sho said. He wore the apron and got ready to go to their bakery – where Ohno was waiting with his usual peaceful smile.
“Ready for work?” the man asked.
“Surely is,” Sho answered, giving a short kiss on Ohno’s sweaty cheek as good morning greeting.
***
The days repeated, as peaceful as Sho could hope for. He was born into a new personality and it had been nine years since those hard times. Slowly, but for sure, he had gained wellness; helped by his favorite people. He had finally found his true home where he could feel the happiest.
He hummed softly, dragging his feet towards Aiba’s tomato farm with Kazu, Anna, and Sera behind. They were arguing about something and somehow it made Sho chuckled.
It was one of the hottest nights in summer; Aiba invited them to have a little camp in the middle of the farm. Sho tightened his grip on the torchlight to show the way to the little girls as they almost reached the spot. Kazu was the last one, Sho made sure that they already found the bright path before switching his torchlight off. Ohno, Aiba and Jun were already there; preparing the barbeque. He joined them and helped Aiba to cut the paprika.
The camping was fun; the kids didn’t need a long time to fall asleep. Sho was the one who stayed awake until past midnight; he went outside, lying down on the grass. He watched the sky which was full of stars – he sang an old song that he couldn’t recall what the title was. And that was when his eyes tricked; he saw a girl – stood around ten meters away from him. She was pretty, her hair reached her shoulder and she was much older than the last time Sho saw her.
“Yuzuru…” Sho unconsciously spoke his late daughter’s name. He rose off of the ground and paid attention more carefully to the figure across from him.
“Daddy,” she replied, but her voice seemed come from faraway place. Sho blinked, was it real or just his imagination? “Be happy, I’m sorry for leaving you. But, I’m always here – together with you, papa, and Kazu,” she spoke again with the same echoed voice.
“Yuzuru…” Sho wanted to say many things, but his brain couldn’t think of the right words; he just stared blankly at Yuzuru or his own hallucination – whichever it was – it felt so real.
“Sho, why didn’t you sleep?”
Ohno appeared from one of the tents, circling his waist.
“Satoshi, Yuzuru is…” he gestured towards where Yuzuru was, but it was just a blank spot – there were only tomatoes.
Ohno showed a puzzled face, but then he smiled.
“She missed you,” he said, “now, let’s go to sleep.”
Sho nodded and followed Ohno towards the tent. He closed his eyes and pictured Yuzuru’s image inside his head. If she was still alive – she would be nineteen, just like what he saw just now. Maybe what Yuzuru said was right – that she actually never left their side. He leaned to Ohno and fell asleep in no time.
End
a/n : Sorry for the late post. I got super-busy week TT
and the ending isn’t that impressive L
Pairing : Yama/Junba/Sakumoto
Genre : angst, domestic drama, romance, m-preg universe
Length : chapters
Rating : PG - 13
Disclaimer : It was just my imagination
Summary : That summer was just a beginning of their long windy road. Sho had worked very hard to gather his missing puzzles by Ohno’s help, but it scattered all over again and this time, even Ohno couldn’t lend him a hand or he was the one who declined it…
This chapter is unbetaed, sorry for the error grammars
The time for Jun to take his maternity leaving had come; the hospital offered a substitute doctor, but Sho denied the idea. He couldn’t imagine himself spending the time with other person than Jun at the same room. He decided to come back to the city for a while and arranged his mind there. Aiba helped them again and said that he and Jun would be waiting for them to visit the village.
Sho leaned to the window at the backseat with Kazu’s head on his lap. The day they returned to the city was raining. Aiba and Ohno chatted along the way and asked for his opinion once in a while; Sho only answered with short ‘mmm’ or ‘maybe’ or ‘sort of’ and continued his daydreaming again. Jun said that he was improving, that his heart and mind wasn’t as swallow as before. Sho brushed Kazu’s hair unconsciously, feeling his warmth. He would give a birth again and he felt a little bit scared; but he won’t let himself drown like he used to be, he must be strong for Ohno and for Kazu.
“Sho, we’re here,” Ohno shook his shoulder.
He had fallen asleep without him realizing it. He opened his eyes and blinked a few times to adapt to the strong light. Kazu had already awakened ahead of him and listened to Aiba’s joke; Sho jumped down off the car and took his suitcase in the car’s trunk.
“Welcome home,” Ohno said.
Sho lifted his head towards the third floor; the house he had left for almost three months in a raw. He didn’t particularly miss this place; but Ohno loved the city and it would be so selfish if he asked the man to move.
“Kazu, come here,” Ohno called the kid. Aiba patted Kazu’s head for the last time and letting him run towards Ohno.
“Aibakun, thanks for everything,” Ohno said as he shook the tailor’s hand. “I’m so glad that I met you.”
Aiba’s lips curved into a humble smile, “You’re welcome, and thanks to you that Jun had found his favorite baker,” he said. “He had good time with Shochantoo, I think he likes you so much.”
Sho gave a slight nod, “I’ll miss him,” he said.
“Hey, you can visit him anytime you want to,” Aiba beamed, “we’ll be waiting for you to come again.”
“We will,” Ohno answered.
Sho nodded again and shook Aiba’s hand as well. The tailor hugged Kazu tightly before leaving; the three of them waved at the man until the car couldn’t be seen anymore.
“Sho, let me carry them,” Ohno said as he grabbed the suitcase from his hand, “you need a long sleep,” he smiled.
“You’re right,” Sho yawned, “Kazu too, you need to take a rest,” he looked at his son whose eyes were almost closed. “Come on,” he lifted the boy and followed Ohno’s steps towards the stairs.
The house was cleaner than what Sho remembered. Ohno had done some changes on the furniture positions; somehow it made the house looked a little bit larger. Sho lay Kazu down on the bed, covered him with the blanket and returned to the dining room.
“Do you want a cup of coffee?” Ohno asked.
“Yes, please,” Sho answered. He pulled the chair and sat down there; he inhaled deeply to feel the air. It had been three months, it felt so short though. He glanced at his watch; it showed 9 pm, Jun had already finished washing the dishes at this hour.
“Here,” Ohno put down the cup in front of him.
“Thanks,” Sho looked at Ohno, “I think I’m fine now,” he said. “I want to start working as soon as possible.”
“Don’t need to be in a rush,” Ohno extended his hand to hold Sho’s, squishing it softly.
“I want to go to the bakery,” Sho hold the cup with his left hand and sipped the coffee carefully. “It’s been a while since I went there.”
Ohno nodded, agreeing.
They went to bed after talking endlessly about everything. Sho snuggled to Ohno’s skinny chest and let the man wrap him protectively. He closed his eyes while listening to Ohno’s heartbeat. Everything would turn out fine, he thought. Ohno was always there, Jun was always there and he still had Kazu and the unborn baby inside him. He was loved more than he thought.
***
Jun gave a birth to a baby girl a month later. Aiba called to inform them about the happy news. The tailor spoke loudly, that even Sho could hear him from five meters distance.
“We’ll visit them,” Ohno told Sho after ending his call with the super-excited Aiba.
“We have to buy something as a present,” Sho put down the iron, smiling at Ohno.
“Sho,” Ohno rose off of the chair and approached him, “have you ever thought about moving?”
Sho lifted his eyebrows; the topic was too sudden. Ohno had never mentioned anything about moving before this. “Moving?” he confirmed.
Ohno nodded.
“Where to?”
“To the place where you can feel happy and peace,” Ohno searched for something inside his pocket and put it in Sho’s hand.
A key.
“Only if you say yes,” Ohno continued. “If you don’t want to, then we’ll use that house as our vacation house. We can go there once in a month.”
“Wait,” Sho gripped the key tighter, confirming it wasn’t a fake thing. “I don’t get you, what house? Where? When? How?” he blabbered.
“I think Aiba’s village is where you can feel more relax, so I have talked with Ogura and he agreed to lend me some money to open a small bakery there,” Ohno explained, as if he had prepared what he would say. “Kazu can go to the nearest local kindergarten and you can teach piano too…”
“Satoshi…” Sho interrupted, “you can’t just…”
“I have talked to Aiba and Jun, they are more than glad to know it.”
Sho left his ironed clothes just like that and gave Ohno a tight hug. This was too much; Ohno even knew him more than what he thought.
“You did it for me, this is unfair.”
“I like that village, honestly,” Ohno said, rubbing his back softly. “Besides, I will be happy if you’re happy. Life in the village seems simpler and easier.”
Sho lost his words; he tightened his embrace, burying his head to Ohno’s neck. The man had done so much for him, meanwhile he did nothing. He promised himself that he would be a better partner and a better parent for Kazu and his upcoming baby.
“Thank you,” he whispered, not knowing what else to say.
***
Jun’s baby was as beautiful as Jun himself. Sho held the newly born child in his arms for long enough before Aiba reminding him that it was too late for lunch. The village was quiet and peaceful that day, the drizzle wetted the earth, sending a cold wind through the crack of the windows.
“Sho san, have you moved your stuff to your new house?” Jun asked.
“Just a half of it,” Sho answered, helping Jun to fix his blanket, “Satoshi will take care of them next week.”
“Maybe I’ll quit my job in the hospital,” Jun said. He glanced at the door;Aiba was outside, changing their baby’s diapers. “I have talked with Masaki, it’s for the best.”
“Maybe we can work as tomatoes picker,” Sho chuckled. Jun’s lips curved into a wide smile as he heard that.
“Yeah, why not.”
“Sho chan, eat your lunch or I’ll be so mad.”
Aiba’s voice was heard from outside. Sho gave Jun a last quick glance before heading the dining room. Aiba had prepared spectacular Chinese food, along with a big glass of milk. Sho could only smile in disbelief, thinking how to eat them all.
He could hear Ohno’s laughter from the other part of the house. Aiba’s father was there and he had a good sense of humor; maybe he was entertaining Ohno with his anecdotes. Sho listened to them while enjoying his lunch. Ohno had taken care of their stuff, even though he hadn’t finished the things with Wonderland Bakery, but it didn’t matter now. They would move here anytime soon; they had decided that Sho and Kazu would stay here; meanwhile Ohno settled his business at the city. He lifted the spoon to his mouth; Aiba’s cooking was delicious and before he realized it; he had almost finished all of them.
***
The sky was so bright that day; sending its warmth to the earth – even though the early winter air blocked most of it.There was only a small amount of clouds in the eastern sky, forming weird shapes. Ohno had just finished preparing the ingredients and the equipment for today; he checked how long he had before opening his bakery. It was still 7 in the morning; yet the small street in front of the bakery had already filled by the students.
“Kazu, your hat,” Sho chased the kid towards the front door which was connected directly with the bakery.
“Hey, my little knight,” Ohno welcomed his son who wrapped his knee happily. “Ready for school?”
Kazu nodded enthusiastically.
“Jun said that he is full of confidence,”Sho informed. “Come on, Kazu, the school bus will come anytime soon.”
Kazu released his hands off of Ohno’s knee, letting his father give him a soft pat on his head and followed Sho towards the exit.
Ohno watched them walking out; he smiled at himself. The decision on moving from the city was the right thing. He could work on his own pace here, Sho could manage himself better and Kazu was accepted the way he was. Jun had decided to become a kindergarten teacher as he quitted his job at the hospital and Ohnowas really grateful for that. Kazu wouldn’t have progressed that much, if it wasn’t because of Jun.
Sho had entered his sixth month and he turned more rounded – in a good way. He taught piano at the nearest elementary school for the extracurricular activity and helped Aiba’s father at the tomato farm if he had enough time. He had no time to drown into his never ending sorrow like he used to be.
“Kazu had departed to school,” Sho said as he returned inside, wearing his apron.
“He looks excited,” Ohno commented, approaching Sho. He touched Sho’s belly softly, measuring its size.
“I’m looking forward to welcoming our new baby,” Sho said, leaning closer towards Ohno.
“I’m glad that you had overcome your emotion so well,” Ohno pulled Sho to give him a quick kiss on his lips. “And your willingness to cook the dinner,” Ohno chuckled.
“Except that I can’t cook as well as you,” Sho complained. He pulled himself further from Ohno and took the mixer to continue the unfinished work.
“I never complain,” Ohno shrugged. He pulled a chair and had Sho sat on it. “I love your cooking.”
“Including the tasteless tempura that I made for you last night?”
Ohno nodded.
“Liar,” Sho mumbled, but Ohno could see his face glowed in embarrassment and he found it very cute.
They continued working in silence until it the time to open the shop had come. Ohno flipped the ‘close’ sign to ‘open’ and changed his apron to the cleaner one. He looked to the far horizon; letting the sunshine envelope him. The soft wind hit his face as if whispering good morning; he stretched his arms and waited for the customers.
***
Sho had never imagined that Kazu would grow into a normal boy. He had turned fourteen this summer and would face his first exam of junior high school. He did great on academic as well as music – since he played guitar and piano; Sho was very proud of him and paid his debt by supporting his son as much as he could – making lunch box was one of them.
“Kazu, don’t forget this,” Sho said as he pushed an umbrella to Kazu’s hand.
“Thanks. I’ll be coming home late today,” the boy said, shouldering his heavy rucksack.
“I’ll tell your papa,” Sho accompanied the teenager towards the front door and opened it for him. They did some renovation to their house and now, the bakery and the main house was separated properly.
It was a hot Sunday morning; Kazu would go to the city with his friends for summer festivals. Sho accidentally saw something on Kazu’s phone where he found a sweet message from a girl named Yuriko – he couldn’t believe that his little Kazu had already mesmerized the girls around him.
“Kazu niichan, don’t forget the lucky-charm.”
“Thank you, Anna,” Kazu said to a nine-year-old Anna whose smile was so wide. The boy stepped outside and waved good bye.
“Nii-chan has many girlfriends,” the girl said out of the blue, “but my approval is just for Sera chan.”
Sho laughed over the surprising statement, “Let’s visit Sera chan today then,” he said to his daughter.
“She’s still on vacation with uncle Jun,” she said while taking origami papers from the drawer. “Papa is too busy for a vacation,” she protested.
“Your papa is a true worker,” Sho said. He wore the apron and got ready to go to their bakery – where Ohno was waiting with his usual peaceful smile.
“Ready for work?” the man asked.
“Surely is,” Sho answered, giving a short kiss on Ohno’s sweaty cheek as good morning greeting.
***
The days repeated, as peaceful as Sho could hope for. He was born into a new personality and it had been nine years since those hard times. Slowly, but for sure, he had gained wellness; helped by his favorite people. He had finally found his true home where he could feel the happiest.
He hummed softly, dragging his feet towards Aiba’s tomato farm with Kazu, Anna, and Sera behind. They were arguing about something and somehow it made Sho chuckled.
It was one of the hottest nights in summer; Aiba invited them to have a little camp in the middle of the farm. Sho tightened his grip on the torchlight to show the way to the little girls as they almost reached the spot. Kazu was the last one, Sho made sure that they already found the bright path before switching his torchlight off. Ohno, Aiba and Jun were already there; preparing the barbeque. He joined them and helped Aiba to cut the paprika.
The camping was fun; the kids didn’t need a long time to fall asleep. Sho was the one who stayed awake until past midnight; he went outside, lying down on the grass. He watched the sky which was full of stars – he sang an old song that he couldn’t recall what the title was. And that was when his eyes tricked; he saw a girl – stood around ten meters away from him. She was pretty, her hair reached her shoulder and she was much older than the last time Sho saw her.
“Yuzuru…” Sho unconsciously spoke his late daughter’s name. He rose off of the ground and paid attention more carefully to the figure across from him.
“Daddy,” she replied, but her voice seemed come from faraway place. Sho blinked, was it real or just his imagination? “Be happy, I’m sorry for leaving you. But, I’m always here – together with you, papa, and Kazu,” she spoke again with the same echoed voice.
“Yuzuru…” Sho wanted to say many things, but his brain couldn’t think of the right words; he just stared blankly at Yuzuru or his own hallucination – whichever it was – it felt so real.
“Sho, why didn’t you sleep?”
Ohno appeared from one of the tents, circling his waist.
“Satoshi, Yuzuru is…” he gestured towards where Yuzuru was, but it was just a blank spot – there were only tomatoes.
Ohno showed a puzzled face, but then he smiled.
“She missed you,” he said, “now, let’s go to sleep.”
Sho nodded and followed Ohno towards the tent. He closed his eyes and pictured Yuzuru’s image inside his head. If she was still alive – she would be nineteen, just like what he saw just now. Maybe what Yuzuru said was right – that she actually never left their side. He leaned to Ohno and fell asleep in no time.
End
a/n : Sorry for the late post. I got super-busy week TT
and the ending isn’t that impressive L