Past and Present
"Up, up, up" Kenshin was shaking Yahiko hard.
"Ah! What!?" he sat right up and looked at his watch it was 6.
"Well someone his feisty this morning come on beautiful up and at em's"
Yahiko grunted, turned over, and pulled the covers over his head.
"Now, don't do that, I got a skateshop to run you wanna be here all day?"
"You open at 6!?"
"You really aren't' a morning person are you? Anyways, I got bills to pay off and the banks wait for no man. I open at 11 cause most of your lazy piers like to sleep in too."
In a sleepy muffled voice he begrudgingly said. "We got back at 2…give me a break."
Kenshin laughed. "Come now sleeping beauty, I went to bed at the same time, you'll get used to the hours."
"Ugh!" Yahiko huffed off the couch and sat at the very small kitchen table. His eyes were a little blood shot.
"You look like shit."
"No? Do I?"
"Ha-ha kid you make me laugh." he slapped Yahiko on the back and he made another sleepy grunting noise.
"I'll be back in an hour that enough sleep for you kid?"
Yahiko looked at him gratefully. With a long sigh and a yes he shuffled back to the couch.
"Funny kid" he then closed the door behind him. Kenshin's "business" shouldn't include the kid he just met. Not yet, later maybe. For now he needed to chill. Were was Max anyways? He needed his pot.
In a little while Yahiko awoke and sat up on the couch. He walked to the kitchen and looked for anything with caffeine. He found a coffee machine, but no coffee. He looked under the sink and in the cupboards. In the very back he found the treasure. He smelled the aroma and made himself a pot. The coffee felt great as it swirled down his throat. Making everything seem clearer. As if all the shadows and cobwebs of his mind where washed away in that cup. Looking musingly out the window he wondered where Kenshin was so he could apologize to him. He really wasn't a morning person.
"Hey, Sagara it's Tony."
"Kenshin! Man, wassup?"
"Hey nothing man, I got a new kid who is gonna skate for the competition in a couple months. Think you can show him the works. He really doesn't know jack about skating but he has the best techniques and is fucking fantastic at flat ground. Rodney type crap. Prolly cause they are from the same type family or something. He told me he sessions in his garage for hours."
"Looks like you found yourself the golden ticket so to speak."
"You really need to lay off the movie lines."
"Yeah I know I like using lines and adding them into real life. Give what I gotta say more of an oomph feel."
"Uhuh."
"Shut up."
"Anyways, stop by my house. He should be up."
"Man it's only 7:00 why should he be up?"
"Cause I said so."
"And why am I up?"
"Good question."
"Stop giving the new kid a hard time…you always get em up early after they go to bed late. Horrible person you."
"Ha-ha what can I say? Break em' in yo."
"You just gave a gangster sign didn't you?"
Kenshin gave a grunt and snapped his cell phone shut. He still hasn't figured out how Sagara does that.
After finishing a few cups Yahiko heard a strong knock on the door. He picked himself up from the table and shuffled to the window. He peeked out and saw a tall guy. He didn't look ominous or like a robber. He was wearing just the typical long tee,white jacket and Jeans. He had a red bandana on his for head. With a board in one hand he knocked again with the other.
"Just the guy he talked about yesterday." he said to himself and opened the door.
"Hello?"
"Hey, you must be Yahiko. Kenshin sent me over to bug you."
"Oh."
"So can I come in or do you like talking through a crack in the door?"
"Oh, yeah... yeah…sorry."
"Nah, it's coo." Stepping inside he peered about, setting his board aside. Yahiko looked at the back of his white Jacket he saw a apanese symbol on the back.
"Made you sleep on the couch did he now?"
"Oh, yeah it's fine though. It's comfortable."
"Really? How's your back?"
"It's alright."
"Uhuh, last time I slept on that thing I had to go to a chiropractor."
"Last time?"
"I crash here a lot. Do I smell coffee?" Sagara headed towards the kitchen.
"Can I ask your name?"
"Oh, right. Duh. Sagara."
"Sagara?"
"Yeah, and you?"
"Yahiko. Hey have you ever been to Folseberry?"
"Ha-ha yeah. Me and a friend got way off track to a skate comp. He took a wrong exit and ended up 100 miles away from or destination." he chuckled, "Travis was so mad, we almost didn't make it to the comp on time."
He couldn't believe his ears. This is the guy he looked up to. This was the guy he remembered all these years as the man who made him who he was. He never thought he'd see him again. Yet here he was in the flesh.
"Oh..."
"What I say something' wrong?"
"No, do you remember a little kid? About 13?"
"Ha-ha little horse shit boy?" Yahiko gave a cringe...he was glad when he turned old enough he didn't have to do that anymore.
"Well, yeah I remember him. Cute ass kid. Little mixed up but he was smart. Wonder what he's up to now. Really never thought about him much till you brought it up."
"Well…"
"What?"
"I kinda, I'm well the kid."
"Hahahaha nah…you can't be…"
"No, it's me. In the flesh. Horse shit boy."
"Oh my god man. Wassup!?" Sagara gave him a big hug and slapped him on the back.
"Ha, what a surprise! Wow you got into skating then huh?"
"Yeah, thanks to you. I really…you gave me my start…I always wanted to thank you."
"So thank me."
"Uh, thanks."
"Nah I just gave you the mag. You could've thrown it away or not gotten into it. You, where born to do what you do. Tony told me a lot about you. He has a lot of faith in you. Opportunities are thrown at you so you can be who you become. It's cool man. So tell me what has crap boy been up to?" With a mischievous smile Yahiko told him.
"Wow your dad's an ass." said Sanosuke sipping on the newly pored coffee.
"Tell me about it."
"We all got our parental problems. Like my parents got divorced while back. I was just a kid you know. It was real hard on me, like I almost did myself in. Then I found skating. Like a whole new world was opened and waiting. I was able to free myself and be what I wanted. I could put my anger, hate, rage, love, and soul into it. Yeah the board would own me, but when you owned it, it makes you feel alive. Like if I didn't have skating, I'd be dead, out of air, and out of soul."
Yahiko sat back and listened. He never really realized why he loved this so much. It was the freedom like he said, but also the power you get out of it. Mastering your board is the best feeling; realizing you can get this, try to make this trick and then getting it. Just nailing a trick gets you excited and pumped for a week. Makes you feel more alive then anything else. People who don't understand this way of life don't get it. They never realize what it's really all about. It's not the scene skaters that make a mockery of the essence. Probably why people, parents, your "friends" can't grasp why you do what you do. Why your board is your life. Without it you wouldn't have one.
"But enough of this sappy shit. When you going to get dressed? When you do, we'll chill for awhiles. I got a great spot we could thrash."
"Frill?"
"You and Kenshin with the gangster shit..." Sagara shook his head "never say that again" Yahiko and he rose from the table.
"What? I just try to keep it real." he gave him a smirk along with the gangster sign Kenshin used earlier on the phone.
"Now I have to beat you up."