Surprise Encounter- Chapter 1
A/N: Hello readers! I hope I don't bore everyone to sleep before getting to the main part of the story. Should I get my story beta'd next time?
Just a random note: It takes me about 10 minutes to come up with each sentence. Sad, isn't it?
He felt truly lonely for the first time in a long while since Saya had gone into her 30 year slumber. In the past, he'd always felt her presence even when they were thousands of miles apart. Thoughts of her and the times they shared at the zoo made the loneliness more bearable, but this time, the memories only brought a painful sense of sadness and nostalgia.
Had he gone back to Okinawa on a whim, or was it an unconscious desire to be closer to his slumbering beloved? He could not tell, but the first place he stopped at was not the Miyagusuku family grave, but pub Omoro. The loneliness tugging at his heart had led him there, and for the first time in decades, he actively sought out company. Strangely enough, the first person that popped into his head was none other than Kai Miyagusuku; the gruff but kind young man who was a part of Saya's adopted family.
It was well past midnight when Hagi trudged his way through the well lit streets and palm trees dotting Okinawa. It was a humid night, and the air felt muggy and warm. Doubt had been eating at his heart the entire time. How would Kai react to his sudden appearance after the incident at New York? Would he turn him away, or would he be welcomed with open arms? There was only one way to find out.
After a moment's hesitation, Hagi raised his bandaged arm and knocked on the pub's door. To his surprise, he was welcomed by the owner with a smile and warm greeting. Finally, after years of traveling around aimlessly waiting for his queen to awaken, he had finally found a place to call home. He was now an official member of the Miyagusuku family. His smile was soft and genuine.
Over ten years have passed since the cellist had settled in Okinawa….
At first, Hagi had a difficult time adjusting to being around another person other than Saya. There were times when he felt like he needed solitude. Kai understood this and willingly let Hagi visit Saya's resting place whenever he felt the need to be close to her. Every single time he visited the Miyagusuku grave, he would faithfully leave a freshly cut pink rose with a blue ribbon tied around the stem for his beloved and for Riku.
He lived an ordinary life amongst the citizens while working as Omoro's head chef. He'd never imagined that it would happen. Despite the peace, there was always work to be done since Diva's daughters were still infants when he'd decided to live a settled life in the beginning. He and Kai spent countless hours changing diapers, making baby formula, and soothing the children when they were teething. But he was happy and contented as a domestic man because he was a nurturer at heart. He'd found his place and role in life after years of wandering.
Hagi was currently rinsing off the dishes and wiping down the counter after a long day of cooking, cleaning, and waiting tables at the family restaurant.
He possessed a little known and well hidden talent for cooking, and willingly contributed dozens of exotic and gourmet dishes to the pub's menu, which attracted many regulars much to Kai's delight. This was a result of years of collecting and writing down various recipes on scraps of paper while traveling the world with Saya during the past century. Hagi could make almost any dish from any region of the world- goulash from Hungary, German black forest cake, spring rolls with shrimp and pork from Vietnam, chocolate éclairs, Panini, and of course Indian curry which were Kai and his niece's personal favorites. It was a secret hobby that transformed the family business into an even greater success. Although he'd lost his appetite for food over a century ago, he certainly didn't lack taste buds.
It took a while for Hagi to notice the tiny hands tugging at his apron from behind. He ceased his current task and looked down to find the owner of the hands.
"Uncle Hagi, Uncle Hagi! I can't find my math homework anywhere! Can you help me look for it, pleeaaase?" The young girl pleaded to her uncle. Her sister chipped in from a nearby stool.
"Honestly Kanade, you're so disorganized! Uncle Hagi doesn't know where everything is. Besides, your side of the room is a total pigsty. How could anyone find anything in that mess?" The girl's blue eyed sister sounded exasperated, as if she were weary of constantly nagging her absent minded twin to clean up after herself.
"Whoever said I left it in my room? F.Y.I., I've already checked my side of the room twice, and it wasn't there!" Kanade pulled down her bottom lid and blew a raspberry at Hibiki from behind her uncle's legs.
"You're so immature." Hibiki huffed under her breath while rolling her eyes.
Dealing with sibling rivalry and petty word battles was a regular occurrence for Hagi at the family's cozy home as the girl's personalities clashed from time to time. Maroon eyed Kanade was forgetful, disorganized, and sometimes ditzy, but she was helpful, loving, and compassionate. Blue eyed Hibiki on the other hand was sensible, smart, level headed, and practical. She was the voice of reason within the pair. They were both special and unique in their own ways.
Hagi used a reasonable but authoritative tone of voice whenever he dealt with their shenanigans. "Kanade settle down, I'll help you search for your homework later. Hibiki, don't criticize your sister. There's no need for the both of you to fight. How would your father feel if he were to see you both act this way?"
"We're sorry Uncle Hagi." Both girls stated in unison. They looked up at their beloved uncle.
"Yeah, we know dad wouldn't like it." Kanade added apologetically.
Hagi smiled kindly at his nieces and quickly finished drying and putting away the dishes. He had a pot of beef stew simmering on the stove for tonight's supper. Speaking of "dad", he hadn't seen Kai all evening. "Girls, have you seen your father anywhere lately?"
"Uh-huh, he's been in the storeroom since noon setting up mouse traps." Hibiki answered.
"Hm. Since when did we have mice?" Hagi asked.
"Oh, we don't have any yet, but dad wants to be extra cautious. He doesn't want any pests or rodents ruining our food supplies." Hibiki slid out of the stool and stood up. "Why don't we check up on him to see how he's doing?"
"Okay!" Kanade chirped excitedly. "Come on Uncle Hagi!" Both sisters anxiously dashed to the storeroom with their uncle in tow. Hagi carefully balanced a tray of homemade ice tea with a glass for each of them.
As Hagi and the girls entered the musty and scarcely lit room, they all spotted Kai sitting on a crate and wiping at his brow. "Whew. Who knew setting up mousetraps was such an exhausting task? That ought to take care of any potential pests." He'd mumbled to himself with satisfaction. It certainly looked exhausting. The whole floor was almost completely covered in traps, and each and every single one of them had a tiny piece of bait set in place. He'd gone overboard again, but who could blame him after all the trauma he had to endure during the Chiropteran war?
Kanade was about to step over to greet her father, but Hagi promptly held her back while balancing the heavy tray with one hand. Her bare foot would've been caught in one of the traps if she'd continued any further. "Oops, uh, thanks Uncle Hagi. I guess I wasn't being careful again." She always felt self conscious after making mistakes. Hagi comforted her by patting her head reassuringly. He was very fond of his nieces and their surrogate father.
Kai's head shot up and he waved to the group when he heard Kanade's voice. "Girls, don't move. Stay right where you are." He said as he carefully tip toed and waddled his way across the room to avoid any accidents.
"Ha ha! Look, dad's walking like a penguin!" giggled Kanade.
Hagi handed Kai a glass of ice tea when he reached the front of the storeroom.
"Ah, thanks." He drank deeply and downed half of the glass in one swig. "Girls, I'm sorry for making you worry like that. I guess it took longer than I thought." Barely in his late 20s, Kai was still vibrant and full of life.
"It's alright dad, but are you finished yet? It's almost dinner time and we're starved!" said Hibiki.
"Yep, done and done! So Hagi, what's on tonight's menu?" asked Kai after finishing his tea.
Hagi smiled softly. "Beef stew of course."
Kanade and Hibiki's eyes were wide and dreamy. They loved beef stew almost as much as curry and both rushed into the kitchen to help set the table.
Hagi had lost track of how many portions of stew he served for dinner. Kai only had a second helping, but the girls had nearly polished off the whole pot on their own. They inherited their aunt's bottomless stomach. He usually only picked at his plate and pretended to eat for appearances sake, although he had no real appetite for food. Thankfully, Kai had kindly hidden blood packs for him in the back of the fridge in case he ever got hungry.
"Okay girls, time to get washed up and ready for bed. Remember, you have an appointment with Doctor Julia tomorrow too" said Kai while he ushered them upstairs.
"Okay dad. Night Uncle Hagi." Kanade and Hibiki soon disappeared upstairs for an early night. They also had to rise early for school the next day.
Hagi and Kai shared a comfortable silence while they washed and dried the remainder of the dishes. This was usually a time for small talk and chit chat between them.
"Huh, we're almost out of fruit juice already. I'll have to go to the market tomorrow" Kai plainly stated to himself while drying a plate.
With his supernatural hearing, Hagi could hear the slightest whisper or the sound of a leaf falling. "I could go to the convenient store right now to pick some up if you'd like." He offered to Kai.
"Nah, it's alright. It's late anyways. I'll do it tomorrow." The orange haired man answered.
"Kai, you do remember that I don't require sleep don't you? The time of night or day doesn't matter to me." Truthfully, Hagi had found sleep to be a small luxury even though he technically didn't need it. He was capable of sleeping if he chose to, but he'd never slept a wink until after the birth of Diva's daughters. It healed fatal wounds quickly too, which explained the sudden return of his missing arm. But Hagi was feeling restless tonight and insisted to Kai that he'd pick up the juice for tomorrow's breakfast.
Kai shrugged his shoulders and yawned. "Alright, if you insist. I'm turning in for the night. Good night Hagi. Don't be gone for too long."
"I won't." Hagi answered. He dropped his keys in his jacket pocket and quietly left Omoro for the 24 hour convenience store.
Little did Hagi know that this was going to be the night of a fateful encounter. An encounter that would forever change his life.