AT-Childhood Memories
Our Childhood- The Backyard
Tezuka Kunimitsu's first encounter with Atobe Keigo was when they were both four and a half years old.
The memory is still vivid in Tezuka's mind, and he could even remember how unsettlingly hot was the weather that very day. It was one of those days in the summer with such intense heat that even eating watermelons can't cool you down. Tezuka remember wiping away the sweat on his forehead while helping his grandfather tidy up the living room.
"Someone is visiting today, Kunimitsu." Tezuka's grandfather, Tezuka Kunikazu told him while handing him some books to be stacked up at the corner.
Tezuka could never forget the details that happened that day, and the way his grandfather reminding him that he should be a good boy when the visitors came, and how it would be better if he could put up a smile.
He is usually an obedient child who never disobeys his grandfather's orders. But he couldn't help it, although he is asked to smile, he just couldn't make himself do so when he's not feeling like it.
After helping Kunikazu put a plate of watermelon on the table in the living room, the visitors that were mentioned finally arrived. A luxurious car came turning onto the streets they lived and eventually came to a stop at the gates.
"Seems like they're here." Kunikazu said and patted Tezuka's head.
An old man the age of Kunikazu approached them with a huge grin spread over his wrinkled face, greeting Kunikazu with open arms: "It's been a while, my friend."
"How are you doing lately?" Kunikazu smiled as well, and that was the kind of joyful smile that Tezuka rarely saw on his stoic grandfather's face. He knew instantly that this must be a close friend of his grandfather.
"Just fine, just fine." The man said, laughing as he gave Kunikazu a big hug. Tezuka looked around and spotted another young boy, seemingly the same age with him, was standing behind the old man. The boy lifted his eyes and the moment their eyes locked, the only feeling that arose in Tezuka was the sense of alarm.
As a little child, it is just normal for him to feel alarmed and endangered, for fear that the adult closest to him would pay more attention to another child. This is more so when Tezuka was raised by his grandfather and that Kunikazu was all he had at that young age.
"This is my grandson, by the way," the old man gestured at the little boy beside him and put a hand on his shoulder: "His name is Keigo. Atobe Keigo."
"Hello there, Keigo." Kunikazu smiled as he bent down to talk to the boy.
The boy who now had a name, Atobe, nodded silently and said: "Hello."
They entered the house and sat down in the living room and the two seniors started chatting right away. The boys had nothing to do and just sat down without saying a word. Tezuka observed Kunikazu talk to the old man and judging by his expressions, they must know each other since a long time ago, although it was the first time Tezuka ever saw him.
They were talking non-stop about the good old days and it was all so confusing for a small child like Tezuka. He never would have thought that he would soon be talking about these, too. The sunset years just seemed to be so distant for a child that young, but it isn't too far away.
After stretching moments with nothing to do and spacing out and trying to ignore the way Atobe was staring at him like he was a kind of display in a museum or what, Tezuka decided he could no longer stand the awkwardness and got up: "May I please go out and take a walk?" he asked.
"Why, yes, of course." Kunikazu nodded.
Tezuka heaved a sigh of relief and stepped out of the room and was unsurprisingly followed by Atobe who couldn't stand the atmosphere of the room either.
"I'm heading out."
"Me too."
"Then you would have to go yourself."
"I don't know this place well enough. It should be your responsibility to be my tour, no?"
After nearly three minutes of awkward silence and deadlock, the two boys came to a reluctant agreement and left the room together.
The two old men watched their grandsons leave with a smile on their faces.
"Your grandson sounds like a grownup." Atobe's grandfather, Atobe Keirin said, laughing.
"Yes, indeed." Kunikazu stroked his beard while leaning back on the couch: "His parents don't have the time to look after him, I think that's the reason why he has learned to be mature and independent at this young age." Deep down in his heart, Kunikazu ached for his grandson. A boy his age needs the company and love of his parents more than anything else, and Tezuka was deprived of this bare necessity since young, which took away the carefree childhood a boy deserved.
"Well," Keirin exhaled and took a sip of tea: "That goes with Keigo, too."
"So where exactly you're going?" Tezuka questioned Atobe as soon as they left the house.
"I'm not familiar with this place." Atobe said, crossing his arms.
The golden red hue of the sunset showered them, dragging their shadows into an abnormally long shape, which resembled their silhouettes standing together after those years they've grown up.
Tezuka sighed and started wandering around cluelessly, and eventually they approached the abandoned playground at the back of the house. The area was fenced and restricted as it was still under construction, but no one tend to it anymore.
The playground used to be what Tezuka dreamt for since he was three years old. He remembered the anticipation for the playground to be ready, so he could frolic around in it, but his wait was in vain as the workers quickly gave up on the project here to take care of things that was more important, as the government had wanted.
The disappointment quickly faded away when Tezuka realized that he could find pleasure and fun in other things.
He decided that he would check this partially-constructed playground out since he was terribly bored. He led Atobe to the gates and lifted his head to look at the rusty lock dangling on it, denying further access.
Atobe stared around, starting to feel a sense of dread and insecure as the place looked too much like those scary places in movies where the monsters and villains roam. He couldn't help but gulp and tug at Tezuka's sleeve: "Hey… we shouldn't be here. We should leave, right this instance. It doesn't seem safe at all."
"Ugh, relax." Tezuka rolled his eyes. He knew it was safe since the place had always been at his backyard, but he was starting to feel the same sense of fear as the wind blew, causing the lock to clank on the gates, creating an eerie sound.
He asked himself to calm down and not get influenced by Atobe, while reaching for the lock.
"Hey, what're you doing?" Atobe exclaimed in disbelief as he watched Tezuka fumble at the lock: "Do you even know the meaning of locks? It means we are not allowed to enter! Give up, let's go somewhere else." He tried persuading Tezuka as he was starting to feel more unsettling.
Tezuka tried his best to reach for that lock, standing on the tip of his toes, and ignored Atobe's words.
"Hey, I'm talking to you right here, do you hear me?" Atobe said furiously. No one has ever disrespected him like this.
"No!" Tezuka replied, annoyed, feeling an inexplicable fury. He disliked Atobe since he saw him, and the way he talked made it even more so.
"Then I'll repeat my point. It's late, this place is spooky, and we should just go back." Atobe stomped his feet.
"You can go back if you want. But I'm not going to give up." Tezuka stretched his short little arms, trying extremely hard to get rid of the only obstacle that stopped him from entering the playground. He was unable to explain this anger he had, and it was the first time he was upset over nothing in his life of four and a half years. But as he gradually grew up, he came to know that he tends to overexert himself in the face of Atobe Keigo.
Atobe shook his head and waited for Tezuka to finally give up. But he was just standing there, trying and trying, not stopping to rest after various attempts to reach the lock. Time passed unknowingly and Atobe looked down at his expensive watch for the tenth time. One hour and fifty minutes, and Tezuka was still attempting to reach that lock which would most probably take him to nowhere. Atobe couldn't comprehend his obsessiveness and weird dedication.
Serves you right to talk back to me. You could try if you want, but I'm not going to help. Atobe thought to himself and looked away.
After another ten minutes, the sun had completely disappeared, and it became dark. Tezuka was still jumping to reach the lock, and sweat was all over his tiny, round face. He panted exhaustedly, his gaze never leaving the lock, and out of the blue, with another stretch, he was able to touch the lock.
Ha, finally. He felt good with this strong sense of accomplishment, but the sense was soon overwhelmed by the fact that his feet had left the ground. He looked down, surprised, and saw Atobe lifting him up by supporting his waist.
"You should hurry, though," Atobe said laboriously, as his arms started to shiver: "as skinny as you look, you're still quite heavy."
Tezuka clutched the lock and with one single shake, the old, worn off lock came off easily and landed on the ground with a thump.
"What did I say?" Tezuka said as soon as Atobe put him down, flattered.
"Yeah, yeah, just get in there and see what's inside."
Tezuka pushed the gate open and it creaked while giving way. They entered the abandoned playground and all they could see were a big, tall slide and a broken down see-saw.
Tezuka lifted his head to gaze at the huge, filthy slide in awe. It took him years to realize that the slide was quite small and unexciting, but that was just how the slide looked to him when he was young.
Atobe would say to Tezuka years and years after that day when they wasted their time to trespass in a deserted playground just to look at a disappointing slide and see-saw, that he knew from that day onward: although there are a lot of things they don't understand, and there are tons of things they can't do, they could eventually make it, as long as they are right beside each other.