pIt was fate that had pushed them together. If fate had the shape of two mothers, that is. Both sons barely enough time to even register what was going on or to protest when it happened. Either way, that was the story of how Yamaguchi Tadashi and Tsukishima Kei met. /p
pThey were scooted into Kei's shared room with his older brother as their moms happily chatted away in the kitchen next door, talking about usual mom things: i.e. what they're going to cook for dinner, "Was it this normal for your son to watch this much TV?" "Of course.", and the like. Meanwhile, the two boys awkwardly eyed each other and took quick glances at the door in case things got out of hand and one of them had to run out of there, fast. Tadashi's heartbeat thumped loudly as he prepared himself for a volley of teasing directed at his appearance while Kei said nothing and adjusted his glasses./p
p"Hey, Yamaguchi," The bespectacled boy finally said, breaking the tense silence./p
pTwo seconds later, the other looks up from where he was lightly scuffing the floor with his foot. "Huh?"/p
p"You wanna read some comics?" He hoped that it didn't sound too weird./p
pIt was like lighting a match to a fuse. "Yeah!"/p
pKei's eyes sparkled mischievously as he crossed over to his brother's side of the room, his brother that was running errands at the moment. His hand reached for a familiar colorful book, and came back with it hugged firmly to his chest./p
pYamaguchi jumped up and down a little with excitement to see what it was, the anxiety loosening in his stomach. He loved reading comics, even the ones in the newspaper that he puzzled over until one of his parents had to explain the whole thing to him. More importantly, he wasn't going to get bullied, which he was grateful for./p
pThe blond presented it with a flourish, "It's one of my favorites!" He exclaimed, his fingers tapping the paper cover. "It has superheroes and skateboarding!"/p
p"Whoa! That's really cool!" Tadashi replied, intrigued by the strange combination but he nonetheless grinned from ear to ear. Then, his excitement faded. "Hey, Tsukishima," he said hesitantly, "Are we friends now?"/p
p"Of course! And you don't have to be so formal; you can just call me Kei!" He said reassuringly. He sat down on the floor with his back against the bed, the comic book now wide open. He looked up at the freckled boy who still stood there, and pulled on his hand until his new friend sat beside him. "And now, the story begins!" He whispered, almost confidingly. He turned to the front page and a myriad of colors jumped out at them all at once./p
pThat was how their mothers and Kei's brother found them, lying flat on their stomachs, wide eyed with wonder, fingers jabbing here and there occasionally on pictures they found interesting. That was also how the two carried on as if they had known each other since forever, whispered quietly, nodded at each other, and in unison, said, "We want skateboards." With much pleading and promises of doing chores without complaint and to not hurt themselves, two 7 year old boys got their own a few days later./p
p-/p
pYears passed and both the boys and skateboards grew older and scuffed. From the early stages of wearing protective gear- "I don't want to wear the knee and elbow pads!" Kei cried mutinously- to lots of bandages and replacement wheels as they tried and rode on the asphalt, to beginner's stunts, they excelled enough to ride to school and back while also managing to wow the kids in the neighborhood. The kids who once teased the freckled boy eventually started leaving him alone once they saw him whizz past with Kei at his side. Kei also put on a glare for good measure just in case, but by then, no one dared to mess with him./p
pEven if Tadashi wasn't as excited as Kei to try out skateboarding, he eventually started to relish the feeling he got when he sped along the sidewalks and roads. The wind that buffeted his body, tangled his hair, and forced him to squint and his eyes water made him smile, while by his side, his friend was laughing and trying to catch his breath at some corny joke he heard at school. His favorite part while riding was when he crouched down for a turn, fingers grazing against the rough surface, and righting himself again, leaning slightly to the side./p
pKei, however, liked to use more complicated tricks he learned from his brother Akiteru. Akiteru turned out to have some proficiency in skateboarding before he quit to focus on his studies and generously taught them whenever he could. He also didn't mind when the two younger boys occasionally barged into the room to read or pull him down to the floor to eat snacks with them./p
pAlthough he liked to deny it, Tadashi was the better of the two, and everybody knew it. Even Tsukki. From the original 'Kei' that grew old to the revised and undoubtedly shortened version of 'Tsukishima', the nickname 'Tsukki' was thus created and stuck. He watched Yamaguchi excel with a spark of friendly jealousy that was easily pushed away like the boost he gave himself when he accelerated on his skateboard. After all, if he practiced more, then he could get better too. Then, something happened./p
p"My parents want me to go study abroad," Tadashi said forlornly as he turned the page of the book they had read countless times. The one that tied them together. A laugh slipped out as he saw the panel where the protagonist wove in and out of the monster's legs, confusing it until it tripped over. In the next, the hero stood triumphantly on top of the monster until the skateboard slipped out from underneath, which caused him to slide down the monster's back in a heap. /p
p"I'm not done reading that page!" Kei complained. "Wait, what?" His voice cracked, going up a few notes higher than it actually should. "Why?"/p
p"They think it's too small for me here, so I'm going to live in America with my aunt and uncle until second year." He explained, while he flipped the page back./p
p"What about going into high school together? Don't tell me those entrance exams were for nothing!" His friend sits up, page forgotten. "What about me?" He said softly./p
p"I'm sorry Tsukki, but at least I have another month until I go, so…" He tried to make his voice cheerful, but it ended up being toneless./p
pA grunt comes out as an answer, and they both sit in a brooding silence./p
p-/p
p"Here! I want you to take it with you!" Kei shoves the book at his friend's chest, and quickly turns away. He's not one for sentiment./p
p"Tsukki, I can't! Just hold on to it and we can read it together again when I'm back home-"/p
p"No! Do it!" He nearly screamed, which was uncharacteristic of him. "Just go." His voice turned flat all of a sudden and his hands were shoved into his pockets. That was Tadashi's last glimpse of his friend before he dropped his gaze to the ground, tucked the book firmly into the crook of his elbow, and stepped into the car./p
p-/p
pTwo school years passed quickly by, and before he knew it, Tadashi changed a little more each day. He grew, obviously, and the freckles on his face grew also in number. The countryside was peaceful, his relatives and schoolmates were nice enough- apparently freckles were common here in America, he secretly rejoiced- but he retracted further into himself, the only things that kept him afloat were his skateboard and the comic book. Sure, the phone calls with his parents were good too, but they weren't tangible. He supposed he missed them, but he missed his best friend even though they hadn't communicated with each other since that day. He had gotten a cell phone, but what was the use of it when he didn't know Kei's number or if he even had a cellphone? He could've called the home phone number, but the different time zones made it nearly impossible./p
pThe board hasn't been touched, since the roads were mainly fields and unpaved roads that were impossible to ride on, proven by how he tried to skate through a patch of grass and nearly broke his wrist in the fall. Plus, bikes were the main mode of transportation in the countryside since everything was reasonably distanced apart. So, it's just propped up against his closet door, making a home for dust and a makeshift hanger for his clothes. Whenever he got bored, he just spun the wheels and sighed; the room was too small to go riding around in./p
pOn the other hand, the comic book became more useful and precious. It still bore the dog-eared pages, some accidental juice stains, and the little childish comments scribbled here and there that marked their favorite panels. It was the same content that he was looking at while on the return trip in the plane, sitting in the taxi, and now, back in his old room after a welcome back party for Yamaguchi Tadashi./p
pHis family members, some he knew and some he didn't, all clustered around him and bombarded him with questions until he felt like screaming. Instead, he excused himself after an hour of chaos and retreated to his room. Everything was still in the same place, although they were coated in dust. He pulls the suitcase close to him and tosses out his clothes and souvenirs until he finds the book. He leans back in his chair, feeling it shift as it gets accustomed to his weight, and turns to the first page. He doesn't hear the crunch f gravel as all his relatives, save his parents, leave as quickly as they came as the sun begins to set./p
pIt's the seven year old in him along with the present 16 year old that reads it for the tenth time that day, reacts with the same response as the doorbell rings exactly three times just like Tsukki used to, the same excitement as he runs down the stairs and fumbles with the door handle, the same…/p
pA boy now taller than himself coolly regards Tadashi. "Hey," his mouth twitching into a hint of a smirk, music blaring through the headphones around his neck, "Remember me?"/p