Walking out of the train station, I was hit with the fresh Miyagi air and the same calming landscape. Acres of grass and nature felt almost surreal. I searched the parking lot until I found a peculiar yellow car and a familiar smiling face. I haven't seen that face in person since he last came to visit two years ago, its matured. "Mariko." "Keishin-nii." My older brother and I embraced one another, he felt like home and this hug specifically felt comforting. Taking my belongings, we made our way to his vehicle. "You've grown a bunch haven't you?" Kei-nii's small talk iss awkward, appreciated, but awkward. "Yeah, I've grown six centimetres since we saw each other last," I admit. He whistles in amazement , "That's great, you can't really tell though in all the pictures." "I guess. All the other dancers are taller anyways."
Sitting in his car, we take a minute to collect ourselves. "So when did you get the new car?" "About a year ago, it's supposed to be for work, but it gets used for personal stuff." I hummed to acknowledge his answer.
The car ride was silent, not the uncomfortable kind that happens with strangers during small talk or when you meet someone new and accidentally brush your hand in very personal areas, no the ride was filled with comfortable silence. The empty air left me to watch the scenery, nothing has really changed in four years. The same blue sky and the same white clouds held a sense of frailness. The slight breeze making the grass dance to faint music felt unsure of where it was headed. Even the people walking by looked no different. I wonder if I really just came back from four years abroad.
When we reach home, the familiar sign of the Sakanoshita Store still hangs over the family business. Keishin parked in the back where the entrance to the house was. We lugged my things inside and I was surprised to see nothing had changed. The closet next to the entrance held everyone's shoes and coats. The pictures that lined the walls haven't changed, and even the smell was the same, freshly picked fruit. Bringing my stuff upstairs, I found my self in the same room I left when I was eleven.
Kei-nii said he would be out for a few hours taking care of an errand, so I unpack and organize everything to my liking, but in the end I didn't change much. I left all the furnishings where they were and the only thing that really felt different was the atmosphere, it felt empty. I made my way downstairs and found dinner on the table, Keishin was in the kitchen talking on the phone.
"Yes, the volleyball club will be attending a training camp in Tokyo this coming Golden Week and needs just a few donations to help cover transportation," he looked up and nodded towards the table, motioning me to sit, "actually that is perfect. Thank you. Thank you so much!"
When he sat down, I took my chopsticks and, "Itadakimasu." Keishin prepared a small dinner, after all, it would be just the two of us.
"So, how are you feeling? Is your back doing alright?" He asked braking the silence.
I looked up from my bowl of udon, "It's fine, they said initial recovery post-operation is usually one to three months, but with my therapy it rounds up to four. I'm halfway through and if I keep up my routine I should be completely fine to dance the first week of September," I smiled.
Kei-nii looked happy for me, "That's great!"
"Thanks. How's grandfather? He stopped coaching right?" I asked, that old man pushed himself even when he was at the edge of a cliff.
Keishin sighed, well grunted, "Yeah, he stopped high school coaching, but he's keeping it up with weekly lessons. Grandma said he hasn't been taking his meds but he's been insisting he's fine."
We stay quiet a little more, "How are you? Still playing with the association?" I asked, curious about how he's been.
"Well, I've been a bit busy, but it's still volleyball," he admitted.
We got quiet once again, it's not that we didn't have anything to say, but more the reason of we didn't know how to say it.
After the meal, Keishin washed the dishes as I made my way to retrieve somethings from my bedroom. I cradle two small urns as I make my way downstairs. Keishin is done in the kitchen, and when he sees me he makes his way to the small office he cleared out for the butsudan.
The lights are lit in the room, and when he opens the two cabinets, a picture of Mother and Father shine in my eyes. Both are decorated with candles and flowers.
Mother has daffodils and honeysuckles, and two candles. Father has hydrangeas and peonies, and two candles as well. The two are connected by a chain of forget-me-nots. Their pictures are ones from their wedding, they look so happy and bright, they were so young.
Handing Keishin Mother's urn, I set Father's in place and he makes his turn. We kneel for a while, paying our respects to the two who raised us and loved us. Tears fall from my eyes onto the ground, I feel a warm hand go to my back. We don't stay too long, we would get too emotional and never leave.
It's quiet the rest of the night. Keishin and I clean up and head to bed. I lay under sheets staring at the ceiling in the dark. I feel like crying even longer, but all my tears are gone. I began to recap all the major events from the last two months. From Mother and Father coming to visit me in New York, to this very second. I'm not sure when, or how, but I fall asleep.
I don't dream of anything, (even though scientists say a person always dreams and that it's probably remembering the dream that is difficult) I don't feel anything. It's somewhat as if I'm dreaming of nothing, as if I'm wide awake thinking of nothing. For the rest of the night, all I see, feel, hear, is nothing.
Sunday morning I'm up and cooking breakfast. Not until 8:30 does Keishin decide to grace me with his presence. He is already dressed for his shift in the store but anyone could tell he had tears waiting to spill out. I grab his hand before he can sit down and take him to the living room.
"Sit." He obeys.
I take a cold compress from the freezer and apply it to his face, "Hold it against your eyes."
I make a quick trip upstairs to find my eye drops. When I come down he is still holding the compress to his face.
"Alright, look up," I place the compress on the table and squeeze one drop into each eye, "there. You should be back to normal before the store opens."
"Thanks Mari," he mumbles.
I put everything away and we start eating, "Itadakimasu."
Breakfast is quick and quiet, while Keishin cleans the dishes, "Remember Takeda-sensei will be dropping by later to take you to Karasuno for your timetable and stuff."
"Okay."
It's half past ten when Keishin shouts for me from downstairs, "Mariko!"
When I find him in the store talking to a short man with unruly hair and glasses he introduces me, "Ah, Takeda-sensei, this is my younger sister, Mariko. Mariko this is Takeda-sensei."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," I bow, it's been a long time since I've done that.
"Ah, it's a pleasure as well."
"Well thank you for helping me, it means a lot," Takeda-sensei has been acting as a liaison as sorts to help me transfer from my American school back into Japanese school.
Schools back in the States were preparing for finals for the school year, so it wasn't too hard, but despite that, Takeda-sensei made the process much easier. Karasuno High School was about a fifteen minute walk from home, but Takeda-sensei drove the two of us.
"So Mariko-san, how does it feel to be back in Japan?" sensei asks.
"It feels great being back, I've missed home, and under the circumstances its made me miss it even more."
Sensei paused before responding, "I apologize if I made you uneasy Mariko-san, I didn't mean to bring up-"
"No, it's fine. I'm beginning to accept things as they are. Besides, as the saying goes, 継続は力なり(Keizoku wa chikara nari)."
"Alright," he gave in.
"Mariko-san," I looked to him, "also remember, 雨降って地固まる(Ame futte chi katamaru)."
I smile, Takeda-sensei is a master of words. We stay quiet until we reach the school.
"Welcome to Karasuno High School," sensei announced as we walked onto campus.
He changed into his school slippers and showed me to my locker where my slippers were. Making our way to the administration office, he helped me find my timetable and uniforms. He provided me with a tour of the school and showed me where my classes would be.
"Congratulations Mariko-san, your test scores are well above average so you will be in class five, in the college prep course," he smiled.
"Thank you."
"I must say, that is quite the opposite of your brother isn't it?" he chuckled.
I laughed along, Kei-nii was in class three when he was in high school, he wasn't the worst student, but his studies could have been much better.
"Well, you have everything we came for yes?" Takeda-sensei asked before we left the school.
Checklist, I had my timetable, uniform, p.e uniform, and textbooks, I was all set. We got back around noon as some students were leaving the store saying their hellos to Takeda-sensei.
"Sensei, Mariko," Keishin greeted as we walked in.
"Thank you for your time Takeda-sensei. Really, it means a lot."
"Please, it all really isn't much. Besides, I owe Keishin-kun a favour," he smiled.
A favour? What did Keishin do for him? While I bring my new supplies to my room, Keishin and Takeda-sensei converse about volleyball, he must play for the association or coach at the school, I decided.
After sensei left, Keishin closed up shop early and we made our way to Takinoue Electronics. We needed to set up my phone with his plan and purchase a couple of Japanese adapters. When we entered the store the first person we see is Taki-kun himself.
"Tattsun!"
"Kei-kun! And Mari-chan?!" He shouted surprised.
"Good afternoon Takinoue-kun," I smiled.
He grabbed me in a hug and knuckled my head, "Ow, what's that for?"
"I haven't seen you in four years, that's what that's for," he laughed, "how are you shorty?"
Keishin and Takinoue-kun have been friends since high school, being on the volleyball team together, they grew pretty close and still play together now through the Neighborhood Association team. He was like a second older brother, just as scared as Grandfather, and coming over just as much to eat all the pork buns. After talking for a bit and setting everything up, we made it back home before dark.
After dinner, Keishin sent me upstairs to clean up and prep everything for school. When I was finished he called me back down to run through tomorrow's schedule.
"I've been working the early hours at the farm lately so I'll probably be out before you leave for school. Aunt Yori will be here to open up shop around seven. What time are you heading to school?"
"Mm, I think I'll leave around seven thirty. I can help with opening, but I want to be at school early to look around and talk to all my teachers."
"Alright. Sounds good. I'm going to head to bed, you should too."
"Yeah, good night Kei-nii."
With that, we made our way upstairs. Before falling asleep I fiddled with everything on my desk and shelves. I had put a few pictures from the States in frames and decorated my room. I held one in my hands of my friends back in New York.
It was of one of our weekend excursions in the city. We went to the Empire State Building and were posing in a piece of choreography from the ballet we were performing at school, Gisselle. It was taken about a year ago. I couldn't help but think about how happy of a time that was, but also how far away from home I was. Back when Mother and Father were still alive, when Grandfather had first been admitted into the hospital, and when I was in New York City studying at the School of American Ballet. It felt like a dream, the last four years. I felt a couple of tears slide down my face.
Setting the picture, saying goodnight to my friends, I switched the lights off, set my alarm and went to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. First day of school. How wonderful.
継続は力なり(Keizoku wa chikara nari) - Continuing after a setback is it's own kind of strength. Perseverance is power. Continuance is power/strength.
雨降って地固まる(Ame futte chi katamaru) - After a storm, things will stand on more solid ground than they did before. Adversity builds character.
Decided to rewrite the story. Sorry.