What If?
Chapter 2- Meetings
Ran yawned with great enthusiasm at the table. He glanced at the newspaper before him, his eyes half open and not really readying the typing on the pages. He absently brought his mug to his lips, only to find that it was empty. With a frown and a sigh, he forced himself up, trudged over to the coffee maker, and poured himself another cup, not bothering to dilute it with sugar or cream. Lord knew he needed the caffeine if he was going to open for Momoe-san.
"Good morning!" Hazy amethyst eyes glanced at the blue-haired girl tripping into the kitchen, all smiles. She stopped to give her brother a kiss on the cheek and then went for the fridge, pulling out an apple which she wasted no time biting in to. Ran stared at her.
"How do you do this?!" The girl blinked and cocked her head to the side.
"How do I do what?"
"Mornings!" Ran growled, tossing the paper aside as he downed the rest of his morning inspiration. Aya giggled and shook her head.
"Because life is too wonderful to pass up a single moment of it," she explained cheerfully. "I wouldn't sleep if I didn't have to!" She laughed again at her brother's teasingly disgusted look. He yawned again and glanced at the clock hanging above the doorframe.
"Oh! Cripes, I'm going to be late!" He grabbed his keys and kissed Aya on her head before running out the door. She followed him to the porch and called out a "Have a nice day! And say hi to Momoe-san for me!" before he disappeared around the corner.
Ran licked his lips in intense concentration as he carefully placed the last rose inside the vase. He stepped back to look at his arrangement. Perfect, as always. Maybe he was too into this, with his meticulous planning and need for precision. It gave him something to do. He heard the bell sound, signifying that someone had just entered the store.
"Irrashaimase," he called out the customary greeting. Violet eyes glanced up to see- a man. No, a boy. He couldn't be any more than 17 years old, wearing an authentic-looking J-League jersey and khaki shorts. It was rare to see a male in the store, let alone someone so young. "Can I help you…?"
"Hn? Oh, I'm just looking," the boy answered, chocolate eyes glancing about at all the pretty flowers. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "My best friend is sick. Really sick. I try to find things to cheer him up, and I was just passing by, so…" Ran nodded in understanding.
"Well…" He walked to a shelf on the far wall and pulled down an arrangement of lavender, gentian, and a couple pieces of high john set together. "I'd personally recommend this piece," he said as he handed the flowers to the boy. "All three of these types of flowers are supposed to have healing properties, if you believe in that kind of thing…"
Ken smiled. This guy really knew what he was talking about. "Thanks. A lot. I'll take them." The redhead nodded with a polite smile and took them up to the register. He punched in a couple numbers, when he stopped. Ken blinked, wondering if there was something wrong.
"You know what?" the pale-skinned man began. "Take them. Go ahead, they're on me." Ken blinked again, this time, his eyes housing a blunt suspicion. "Look, I know how hard it is to care for someone when they're sick. So go on and take those to him, and wish him the best for me."
Ran watched a wide smile spread across the boy's features, and returned the smile in kind.
"Thank you so much!" he gushed, glowing with appreciation. He reached out and shook the redhead's hand enthusiastically before turning and hurrying out to deliver the flowers. Ran chuckled to himself. It felt so good to make people smile; he couldn't imagine a life without it.
Ken walked across the soft grass of the park in silence, his hands in his pockets, his features set deep in thought. Kase had been asleep when he'd arrived, so he'd simply put the flowers nearby and left, heavy- hearted. Without even noticing, he'd brought himself to the park. He and Kase used to hang out here all the time, playing soccer or just walking around it they wanted to talk. He heard a cry nearby, followed by a falling sound, and two voices laughing and giggling madly. Ken followed the gleeful sound to two boys out on the soccer field, a tangle of limbs, but laughing as if it were the funniest thing. Brown eyes slowly glanced downward where a soccer ball lay at his feet where it stopped after running away from its owners. He reached down and picked up the ball. The two boys finally managed to pull apart, and the younger of the two, a blonde with intense blue eyes, ran down the hill to retrieve the escaped ball.
"Hi!" he chirped, blonde hair tousled and cheeks flushed from the accident. Ken looked at him, at his sparkling eyes, so full of life, at his chest heaving, rising and falling in struggle to catch his breath. The J- Leaguer shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts that were beginning to stream in…
"Hi," he finally answered. "I take it this is yours…?" He held out the ball. The blonde youth smiled again and nodded.
"Yeah. Thanks," he said as he gently reached out and took it. "I'm Mamoru. Mamoru Takatori." He paused to point back at the boy who was picking himself up of the ground, brushing the grass and dirt from his clothes. "And that's my brother, Hirofumi."
"Ken Hidaka," the brunette responded, offering his hand. Mamoru took it lightly, with a boyish grin.
"I've heard that name before somewhere, I think…" Ken stifled a laugh. The boy before him shrugged. "Ne, do you want to play with us?" A smirk rose to Ken's lips. He was never one to turn down an invitation to play a game of soccer.
"I'd love to."
"Great!" Mamoru grabbed hold of Ken's hand and tugged him up the hill with a childish urgency. "Oi! Hiro'! We've got another player!"
"Wait a second," Hirofumi started. "Who gets him? The numbers are uneven now, Mamo-chan." The blonde's brow creased in thought. Ken cleared his throat.
"Um, if it's okay, I'll play against the two of you," he offered. Both brothers raised their eyebrows.
"Ne, Mamoru, I think he thinks he could beat us." The older passed a wily look to his little brother.
"I say we teach our new friend a thing or two!"
The entire estate echoed with the laughter of three muddy, exhausted, but utterly elated boys as they nearly collapsed inside.
"I- I still can't- believe-" Mamoru tried to speak, his words separated by loud sniggers. "Believe we lost!" A fresh wave of laughter washed over the boys, Hirofumi leading the way to the den.
"Yeah, really!" The older Takatori demanded with feigned indignity. "Why didn't you tell us you were a professional?" Ken finally gulped down enough air to answer.
"You never asked!" Completely worn out from hours of running around out there, all three caved in, dropping onto the dark carpet. They all thanked their lucky stars it wasn't white or any other fair shade. With a sigh, Hirofumi sat up.
"I call dibs on the shower first," he announced. "You two can fight over who gets it next or drag your butts upstairs, but…" he looked at the flight of steps which, from this point of exhaustion, seemed to go on forever. "Somehow, I don't think you'd want to." With that said, Hirofumi disappeared into the hallway to the extensive marble washroom. Ken looked at Mamoru, unblinking, finally having caught his breath.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay…?" he asked hesitantly. Mamoru flashed an assuring smile at the soccer player.
"I'm positive," he responded. "Tou-san wouldn't mind. I don't think he'd even notice." Ken chuckled, and a silence befell them. It was comfortable enough, but… there was something in the air. A presence of familiarity beyond having known one another for less than a whole day. "Mamoru?"
"Ken?" they asked at the same time. The two shared a lighthearted laugh. "You go first."
"Um… Does it feel to you like… I dunno, we…"
"Met before?" the blonde finished. "I have that uncanny feeling, too…" Another laugh filled the room before both boys fell backward, too bushed to talk anymore. Oddly enough, there was no need for words after that point.
Ran let out a sigh of gratification. He'd made it through the day, and could now get back home to his sanctuary and to his sister. He wiped the damp cloth across the counter, making sure all the clippings and scraps were gone. He heard the door chime jingle and choked back a groan. He quickly prayed whoever it was didn't want a big order.
"Irrashaimase," he celled out, his back still turned to the door.
"Give me your biggest, gaudiest, flashiest ensemble!" Ran turned at the sound of that voice- another man. Yes, a man this time, not like the brown-haired boy that had come in this morning and not left his mind since. This was someone older than him, but still rather young by the looks of it. He had shoulder length hair the colour of honey, and jade-green eyes that shone with something along the lines of mischief.
"U- Un…" Ran thought quickly, and made his way to the back. He walked out a few moments later, holding a large vase full of brightly coloured exotic flowers. Those jade eyes lit up.
"Perfect!" He exclaimed. "She'll love them!" Yohji clapped his hands together. "Ring them up, my good man!" The redheaded boy carted the load over to the register and began working out the cost. There was something strange about this man…
"Might I ask… what they are for?" Yohji blinked. Suddenly, his face beamed with proud smile.
"My wife," he declared proudly. "We just got back from our honeymoon, and I figured I might as well get her a welcome home gift!" the honeyed man chuckled at his clever idea. Ran smiled.
"That's very thoughtful of you. Um, that'll be $44. 87." Long arms reached inside a hauntingly familiar black jacket and produced a well- supplied wallet. He pulled out a fifty, placing it in the florist's pale hand.
"Keep the change, kid." Ran cringed. Kid?! What arrogance! He couldn't be more than three years his senior! 'God… calling me 'kid' just because he's married. Lousy big-shot…'
"Thank you," Ran replied, all smiles outside. The man picked up the vase and walked out, whistling a tune to himself. Ran blinked.
"I know that song…" Ran frowned softly as he closed up the last of the shop. He'd definitely had a strange day. One thing for sure, though, he was now a firm believer of déjà vu.
I think the familiarity of the tune was supposed to have some significance upon the story, but I found when I read it over a couple days later, I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Sorry 'bout that, for all you curious folks out there. My stories tend to have details in them that aren't exactly relevant, but they're still nice to read, right? Right??? *silence* …. Anyway, you won't have to wait for chapter 3. I wrote it the same day I finished this one. I'm such an overachiever!
Kourui
Chapter 2- Meetings
Ran yawned with great enthusiasm at the table. He glanced at the newspaper before him, his eyes half open and not really readying the typing on the pages. He absently brought his mug to his lips, only to find that it was empty. With a frown and a sigh, he forced himself up, trudged over to the coffee maker, and poured himself another cup, not bothering to dilute it with sugar or cream. Lord knew he needed the caffeine if he was going to open for Momoe-san.
"Good morning!" Hazy amethyst eyes glanced at the blue-haired girl tripping into the kitchen, all smiles. She stopped to give her brother a kiss on the cheek and then went for the fridge, pulling out an apple which she wasted no time biting in to. Ran stared at her.
"How do you do this?!" The girl blinked and cocked her head to the side.
"How do I do what?"
"Mornings!" Ran growled, tossing the paper aside as he downed the rest of his morning inspiration. Aya giggled and shook her head.
"Because life is too wonderful to pass up a single moment of it," she explained cheerfully. "I wouldn't sleep if I didn't have to!" She laughed again at her brother's teasingly disgusted look. He yawned again and glanced at the clock hanging above the doorframe.
"Oh! Cripes, I'm going to be late!" He grabbed his keys and kissed Aya on her head before running out the door. She followed him to the porch and called out a "Have a nice day! And say hi to Momoe-san for me!" before he disappeared around the corner.
Ran licked his lips in intense concentration as he carefully placed the last rose inside the vase. He stepped back to look at his arrangement. Perfect, as always. Maybe he was too into this, with his meticulous planning and need for precision. It gave him something to do. He heard the bell sound, signifying that someone had just entered the store.
"Irrashaimase," he called out the customary greeting. Violet eyes glanced up to see- a man. No, a boy. He couldn't be any more than 17 years old, wearing an authentic-looking J-League jersey and khaki shorts. It was rare to see a male in the store, let alone someone so young. "Can I help you…?"
"Hn? Oh, I'm just looking," the boy answered, chocolate eyes glancing about at all the pretty flowers. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "My best friend is sick. Really sick. I try to find things to cheer him up, and I was just passing by, so…" Ran nodded in understanding.
"Well…" He walked to a shelf on the far wall and pulled down an arrangement of lavender, gentian, and a couple pieces of high john set together. "I'd personally recommend this piece," he said as he handed the flowers to the boy. "All three of these types of flowers are supposed to have healing properties, if you believe in that kind of thing…"
Ken smiled. This guy really knew what he was talking about. "Thanks. A lot. I'll take them." The redhead nodded with a polite smile and took them up to the register. He punched in a couple numbers, when he stopped. Ken blinked, wondering if there was something wrong.
"You know what?" the pale-skinned man began. "Take them. Go ahead, they're on me." Ken blinked again, this time, his eyes housing a blunt suspicion. "Look, I know how hard it is to care for someone when they're sick. So go on and take those to him, and wish him the best for me."
Ran watched a wide smile spread across the boy's features, and returned the smile in kind.
"Thank you so much!" he gushed, glowing with appreciation. He reached out and shook the redhead's hand enthusiastically before turning and hurrying out to deliver the flowers. Ran chuckled to himself. It felt so good to make people smile; he couldn't imagine a life without it.
Ken walked across the soft grass of the park in silence, his hands in his pockets, his features set deep in thought. Kase had been asleep when he'd arrived, so he'd simply put the flowers nearby and left, heavy- hearted. Without even noticing, he'd brought himself to the park. He and Kase used to hang out here all the time, playing soccer or just walking around it they wanted to talk. He heard a cry nearby, followed by a falling sound, and two voices laughing and giggling madly. Ken followed the gleeful sound to two boys out on the soccer field, a tangle of limbs, but laughing as if it were the funniest thing. Brown eyes slowly glanced downward where a soccer ball lay at his feet where it stopped after running away from its owners. He reached down and picked up the ball. The two boys finally managed to pull apart, and the younger of the two, a blonde with intense blue eyes, ran down the hill to retrieve the escaped ball.
"Hi!" he chirped, blonde hair tousled and cheeks flushed from the accident. Ken looked at him, at his sparkling eyes, so full of life, at his chest heaving, rising and falling in struggle to catch his breath. The J- Leaguer shook his head to clear his mind of the thoughts that were beginning to stream in…
"Hi," he finally answered. "I take it this is yours…?" He held out the ball. The blonde youth smiled again and nodded.
"Yeah. Thanks," he said as he gently reached out and took it. "I'm Mamoru. Mamoru Takatori." He paused to point back at the boy who was picking himself up of the ground, brushing the grass and dirt from his clothes. "And that's my brother, Hirofumi."
"Ken Hidaka," the brunette responded, offering his hand. Mamoru took it lightly, with a boyish grin.
"I've heard that name before somewhere, I think…" Ken stifled a laugh. The boy before him shrugged. "Ne, do you want to play with us?" A smirk rose to Ken's lips. He was never one to turn down an invitation to play a game of soccer.
"I'd love to."
"Great!" Mamoru grabbed hold of Ken's hand and tugged him up the hill with a childish urgency. "Oi! Hiro'! We've got another player!"
"Wait a second," Hirofumi started. "Who gets him? The numbers are uneven now, Mamo-chan." The blonde's brow creased in thought. Ken cleared his throat.
"Um, if it's okay, I'll play against the two of you," he offered. Both brothers raised their eyebrows.
"Ne, Mamoru, I think he thinks he could beat us." The older passed a wily look to his little brother.
"I say we teach our new friend a thing or two!"
The entire estate echoed with the laughter of three muddy, exhausted, but utterly elated boys as they nearly collapsed inside.
"I- I still can't- believe-" Mamoru tried to speak, his words separated by loud sniggers. "Believe we lost!" A fresh wave of laughter washed over the boys, Hirofumi leading the way to the den.
"Yeah, really!" The older Takatori demanded with feigned indignity. "Why didn't you tell us you were a professional?" Ken finally gulped down enough air to answer.
"You never asked!" Completely worn out from hours of running around out there, all three caved in, dropping onto the dark carpet. They all thanked their lucky stars it wasn't white or any other fair shade. With a sigh, Hirofumi sat up.
"I call dibs on the shower first," he announced. "You two can fight over who gets it next or drag your butts upstairs, but…" he looked at the flight of steps which, from this point of exhaustion, seemed to go on forever. "Somehow, I don't think you'd want to." With that said, Hirofumi disappeared into the hallway to the extensive marble washroom. Ken looked at Mamoru, unblinking, finally having caught his breath.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay…?" he asked hesitantly. Mamoru flashed an assuring smile at the soccer player.
"I'm positive," he responded. "Tou-san wouldn't mind. I don't think he'd even notice." Ken chuckled, and a silence befell them. It was comfortable enough, but… there was something in the air. A presence of familiarity beyond having known one another for less than a whole day. "Mamoru?"
"Ken?" they asked at the same time. The two shared a lighthearted laugh. "You go first."
"Um… Does it feel to you like… I dunno, we…"
"Met before?" the blonde finished. "I have that uncanny feeling, too…" Another laugh filled the room before both boys fell backward, too bushed to talk anymore. Oddly enough, there was no need for words after that point.
Ran let out a sigh of gratification. He'd made it through the day, and could now get back home to his sanctuary and to his sister. He wiped the damp cloth across the counter, making sure all the clippings and scraps were gone. He heard the door chime jingle and choked back a groan. He quickly prayed whoever it was didn't want a big order.
"Irrashaimase," he celled out, his back still turned to the door.
"Give me your biggest, gaudiest, flashiest ensemble!" Ran turned at the sound of that voice- another man. Yes, a man this time, not like the brown-haired boy that had come in this morning and not left his mind since. This was someone older than him, but still rather young by the looks of it. He had shoulder length hair the colour of honey, and jade-green eyes that shone with something along the lines of mischief.
"U- Un…" Ran thought quickly, and made his way to the back. He walked out a few moments later, holding a large vase full of brightly coloured exotic flowers. Those jade eyes lit up.
"Perfect!" He exclaimed. "She'll love them!" Yohji clapped his hands together. "Ring them up, my good man!" The redheaded boy carted the load over to the register and began working out the cost. There was something strange about this man…
"Might I ask… what they are for?" Yohji blinked. Suddenly, his face beamed with proud smile.
"My wife," he declared proudly. "We just got back from our honeymoon, and I figured I might as well get her a welcome home gift!" the honeyed man chuckled at his clever idea. Ran smiled.
"That's very thoughtful of you. Um, that'll be $44. 87." Long arms reached inside a hauntingly familiar black jacket and produced a well- supplied wallet. He pulled out a fifty, placing it in the florist's pale hand.
"Keep the change, kid." Ran cringed. Kid?! What arrogance! He couldn't be more than three years his senior! 'God… calling me 'kid' just because he's married. Lousy big-shot…'
"Thank you," Ran replied, all smiles outside. The man picked up the vase and walked out, whistling a tune to himself. Ran blinked.
"I know that song…" Ran frowned softly as he closed up the last of the shop. He'd definitely had a strange day. One thing for sure, though, he was now a firm believer of déjà vu.
I think the familiarity of the tune was supposed to have some significance upon the story, but I found when I read it over a couple days later, I couldn't figure it out for the life of me. Sorry 'bout that, for all you curious folks out there. My stories tend to have details in them that aren't exactly relevant, but they're still nice to read, right? Right??? *silence* …. Anyway, you won't have to wait for chapter 3. I wrote it the same day I finished this one. I'm such an overachiever!
Kourui