Ch. 2 – Planes, Trains, and numerous amounts of walking

They always say to arrive for international flights 3 hours early. And I see why. The line to check in was absolutely ridiculous. About 98% of these people who of Asian descent and the other 2% looked like military. I remember there's an American base in Okinawa, maybe I should try to check it out if I get home sick.

It took an hour to get checked in, and I went directly to my gate. Every seat was filled, not with butts, but some people were laid out on the seats taking 2-3 for themselves. I had about an hour and a half before I needed to board, and I was getting hungry. I've never been to the airport by myself. For a 17 year old boy, it was kind of exciting. Though, some of these people were also kind of scary. I just kept my headphones in, listening to the anime radio station I liked to listen to. Thank goodness for free wi-fi. I forgot to load all my music onto my phone from my computer.

After I ate, I had a weird thought. What if this is the last time I'll enjoy American food? I'm one of those picky eaters who truly hate vegetables of any kind, and every time I attempted at trying to eat Japanese cuisine, I got sick. I can deal with rice and meat, but I doubt that's all they serve in Japan. I'm sure my father will want to go to a restaurant when I arrive. What if I embarrass my father when I'm not able to enjoy what is on the menu? What if I don't take a liking to my stepmother's cooking? Oh, the agony! Wait! I'm a decent cook. Surely, I can come up with something for at least myself. It's not selfish, just survival.

"The plane leaving for Tokyo at Gate 7 is now boarding. Please make your way to the gate."

The intercom person sounded like English wasn't her first language. But, I still understood. I even understood when she translated it to Japanese. I should be fine. Leave your worries and doubts here at the airport, Leon. You got this.

What I don't got, is a great seat. The middle seat, in the middle row, with a 3 year old in front of me who turns around and just stares at me. The snot bubble growing from his left nostril is mesmerizing. I wait for it to pop, but slowly shrinks as he inhales. At least there's a TV in front of me and it allows me to pick the movies I want to watch. I select English for the language, because I know they tend to give you shows and movies based on the language. I have no idea what shows are popular in Japan, so I'll stick with what I know. Plus, I'm not really good with reading Japanese script.

The person to my left is an older gentleman in a grey suit and tie. He tries to talk to me, but he speaks too fast. I tell him in Japanese to please slow down, that I'm actually an American but I can understand him. He kind of grunted at me, and we didn't talk for the rest of the flight.

13 hours non-stop to Tokyo. Kind of hard to sleep when the person to your right and left takes all the elbow room. I know better than to be disrespectful to my elders, so I just let it pass. Going through customs and picking up my bag at baggage claim took about an hour. I'm so tired and hungry. Luckily, there's a McDonalds at the airport here. The taste is a bit different, but still enjoyable.

According to my aunt, my father's town should be a 2 hour train ride. The train is right next door to the terminal, so it's easy enough to navigate to the train I need to go on. However, it's completely packed. I can smell what everyone ate prior to boarding the train. It's not a nice mixture. Just trying to stay conscious has proving to be my most difficult task to date.

As we make each stop, more and more people get off. After the first hour, I'm finally able to take a seat. I'm almost dozed off until the announcement on the intercom that my stop was coming up. As soon as I get off the train, I pulled out the map my uncle drew for me. He's not a very good artist. Maybe I can find someone who can help. Guess I should get use to using Japanese from now on.

"Excuse me, can you help me? I'm an American and I need to get to this place?"

The woman turned around, with her chestnut hair almost slapping me in the face. She seemed to be half asleep, but when her gaze met mine, her eyes went into overload and her face blushed to a red I've never seen before. She was gorgeous. She couldn't be much older than I was. Her blushed face was intoxicating. I feel like I could just stare at her all day. Screw meeting my dad, I wanted to stay with her!

"Su-Suminoe-kun? What is this joke?"

That kind of threw me back.

"How do you know my last name?"

She stopped and glared at me. Looking at me up and down, and gave a light sigh.

"I'm sorry. You look exactly like someone I know. Quite identical really, but there's a little difference. Your head isn't up your sister's skirt."

"Wha-what?! Excuse me? My name is Suminoe Leon. I'm an American and don't have a sister. Though I do have a twin brother that I'm trying to meet for the first time."

The shock from that statement made her hesitate a bit. She took a step back and trip over her own feet.

"Look out!"

I have really good reflexes, and leaped next to her, taking my right arm to support her from her left. We stared into each other's eyes for only a moment, but felt like eternity. Her face started to get red again, and kind of panicked for a minute. She gained her composure, and used my arm to lift herself back up. With a quick swipe to her dress, to get rid of the wrinkle that drew up to her panty line, she turned to me again.

"I know a Suminoe Keita, you two could pass for twins. I never heard he had a brother, but only the twin stepsisters. Though, the coincidence in this is quite uncanny. I would almost believe you are looking for him."

"I don't know his name. This is the first time we'll be meeting each other. All I have is an address."

I handed her the piece of paper and after about 2 seconds of staring at it, the shock in her face made it seem she knew exactly where I needed to go. She calmed herself, waving her left hand at me, which I think means something like, don't worry about it or something.

"So, I was right. You are Keita-kun's twin brother. I was actually on my way over there for a parent-teacher conference. He's a lousy kid."

"Teacher?"

"Yes, I'm Keita-kun's teacher."

When she said that, both hands went behind her back, and she stood on the tip of her right foot, twisting it left and right. Her gaze was to the ground, but I could see the redness again. I've never seen such bashfulness before. It was extremely…. Sexy! I think I'm in love.

"Are they expecting you?"

"Well, only my father. You said my brother's name is Keita? Well, he doesn't know about me. Not until I arrive. It's terrifying to be honest."

"Oh… well, I'll lead you to where they live. I'll call them later to reschedule the conference to a later time. I think you coming is much more important than complaining about a kid who sleeps in class."

I started to scratch the back of my head, and with a big smile, told her "Thank you."

She grabbed my hand and left the train station. Her palms are getting sweaty. Are we going to stay like this until we arrive? I wouldn't mind. I always had a thing for teachers. And this one was easily the hottest teacher I've met.

She started pointing out the different building around, telling me their significance. Which one was a convenient store, and so on. We walked for about 5 blocks it seems. My feet started to hurt. To think that Japanese, who commute quite a bit, has to deal with this torture. I'm quite lazy, and had my own car when I was 15. I didn't drive much except to get to school and back. I was quite a loner. But, to know that I have a twin brother and apparently twin sisters, maybe I don't have to be a loner anymore.

We stopped in front of a wide house. It's pretty big. Quiet. I looked over at my guide, with my hand still in hers. She turned to me, looked down at our hands, smiled, and quickly jerked back.

"S-so, here you are? Hahaha… please excuse me. Good luck."

"Hey wait! I never got your name."

"Since you're Keita-kun's brother, you can just call me Yuzuki."

With a smile and a bow, she turned and left. My first love….

I looked back at the house and just stared at it. This will be my home for a few months. Behind that door, is the family I never knew. It kind of feels nostalgic, yet I've never met these people. I walked through the gate and approached the front door. It seems quite tranquil here….

*BOOOOM!*