Chapter 11

Little Wonders

He stuck a post-it gently on Kai's forehead and smiled at the boy who was in such a deep sleep. It was obviously time for him to go, he promised Kai the night, and he did so, he had a short breakfast with his dad and off he was back to the beach house. Though his father volunteered to have the chauffeur take him home, he just refused and decided to walk home.

On his way home, the gleaming sun made the water shimmer, it was beautiful there was no doubt about that. When he reached home, he made himself a cup of coffee and sat in the porch that faced the beach. He changed into his boxers and t-shirt as he relaxed himself in the serenity of his surroundings. The stress was gone; it slid off just like water that falls off a water fall.

He smiled at the view and took a sip out of his cup, Susumu couldn't ask for anything else than this. Though he began to think about how Kai would react when he left. It was the boy's first time to see his father after almost ten years. As he was lying down on the swing bench (whatever you call it…), Kai was the only person that crossed his mind more than anyone else. He hated the fact he had to go back to the beach house. Why did he have to go back? His father forgave him already and as said, the stress was gone.

But he remembered the reason why he didn't want to go back; he didn't want his father to interpret his homecoming as his acceptance to head the firm. He never wanted to be such a busy bee, it wasn't the most fun thing to do, he's seen two people fall under the stress already, and he was more of a carefree person, a person who had lots of time for his loved ones and at the same time his job, but his father never accepted that at first, why would he? He was the president of Hiwatari Enterprises; people like him would rather work than stay at home on Sundays and have fun.

But he saw a new side to his father, a side he's never seen in all his years as his son; a sensitive and family-oriented, well, more like an emotionally attached Voltaire. He then smiled at the idea, but he himself never thought his father could be so vulnerable. Everybody does have a weakness as they say, but Voltaire's surely took sometime to surface.

Susumu then took the last sip of coffee and entered his humble abode. He then forgot that today was a Monday, surprisingly he wasn't in a rush. He entered work late that day, and no one seemed to bother. Just as he sat on his chair, a head popped out beside him. The poor guy nearly got a heart attack by the gesture done by his friend, Ken Daiba.

"Soooo…. I have to know… are we going or not?" Ken said with a big smile on his face. "You know… I don't know anymore…" Susumu said reclining into his chair. "Why not?" Ken said with an expression of disbelief. "Well… I don't know…" Susumu said as he booted his computer.

"C'mon, you've wanted this your entire lifetime, you can't possibly say no to it."

"I can… and… why do you sound so depressed?"

"Because I thought we were in this together…"

"You're beginning to sound like a kid okay."

"I know, but you didn't even want this job, neither do I, so I don't understand why we're still working here!"

"Don't get mad…"

"Then tell me why you don't know what to do anymore?"

"I went back to my dad yesterday and I saw my son and I think we're at peace now, I don't want to leave the poor old man…"

"What the hell? You don't even live there, I bet he really wouldn't care if you left."

"I know but…"

"It's the kid isn't it?"

"Yes… my one and only little boy."

"You do realize he isn't so little anymore?"

"I know, but seeing him cry like before, just touches me so much…"

"I know you want to go around the world and study Beyblades from different countries of the world and even go there. We'd be the BEST engineers EVER!"

"I know I know… I'll think about it."

"Wasn't the reason why you wanted that job was because you wanted to make the best Beyblade ever for your son? That was the only reason, I remember, you told me that when we saw the job ad that day."

"Yes, okay! I surrender!"

The day then ended and Susumu was headed home in his Cougar. When he parked in front of the picket fence, it was surprisingly open. He entered the perimeter. When he reached the porch area, he saw a familiar person trying to find an entry. "What are you doing?" Susumu asked as he approached the boy who was looking through the kitchen window, on his tip-toes. "Trying to look for an entrance…" The boy said as he still continued to look through the window. "You know… the front door is just a few steps from here…" He said pointing in the direction headed there. "It's locked…" the boy said not changing his position. "Well duh… I don't want to get robbed." Susumu said, the boy then gave in and faced Susumu. He broke out into tears and hugged his father.

"Why did you leave?!" Kai asked as his voice was muffed by Susumu's clothes. "I had to Kai, I can't stay there for long…" Susumu replied with a fragile tone. "It's not fair!" he complained as Susumu could only caress Kai's back. "Come on Kai, let's go inside…" He said as his son wiped the tears off his face as he nodded. Susumu smiled and unlocked the front door.

When they entered, Kai drifted off to sleep. Susumu then carried him to his room. He placed Kai on his bed and decided that he should take a nap too. But his eyes couldn't really keep shut. So much things were racing through his mind, the new job, his father, his son, Ken, and the aftermath of it all. The doorbell then suddenly rang and he immediately stood up to get the door.

He assumed it was his dad so he was prepared to tell him he didn't kidnap Kai or gag him or drug him. It was the greatest upset of his predictions, it wasn't Voltaire; it was his mom. She looked afraid, or she just looked like that because that was how she looked to Susumu everyday. "Is there something wrong mom?" he asked as he leaned on the door frame. "No dear, there's none, I just want to talk to you about something…" she said with a fragile tone. Susumu then gestured to her to enter his house. She then sat on the sofa, it was very comfortable since it seemed that a thin smile began to appear on her face.

"What is it you'd like to talk about?"

"I just heard from your friend you'll be getting a new job…"

"I'm not really sure anymore. I wanted it so badly before, but now… it's like I don't want it anymore…"

"Something's holding you back…"

"Wouldn't you have guessed that by now?"

"Obviously I guessed it hours ago since your friend told me you were so unsure of yourself."

"Oh…"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… it's just that…"

"It's your father isn't it?"

"What?"

"Your father is holding you back…"

"Well not really…"

"Your son?"

"Erm…"

"Both of them then…"

"I guess…"

"And I'm also guessing something happened yesterday or lately that made you think twice about this new job?"

"Yup…"

"Why did you want that job in the first place Susumu?"

"What do you mean?"

"What drove you to get that job… that's what I meant, what pushed you…"

"Kai…"

"It all has something to do with that game I suppose…"

"Yeah…"

"Do you think he'd be happy?"

"What?"

"He'd be happy with you leaving…"

"No… I mean I just left this morning and he breaks out into tears when he sees me later on…"

"It's breaking his heart…"

"What is? You do realize being Voltaire's grandson there really would be lots of 'it's' and 'its' mom."

"The whole situation is… you and your father…"

"So what you're trying to say is that…"

"Yes…"

"It has been years after all you know…"

"I can't agree more…"

"He's better off with dad than with me… I mean…"

"Your father is so much different from you, in every aspect there is Susumu…"

"What do I do now? I can't just tell him to leave, I can't just…"

"Take the job Susumu."

"What?"

"Take the job…"

"I can't… I just…"

"You want him to be happy don't you?"

"I know I do but I just can't anymore because my heart is telling me forget it, don't go and the other organs in my body tell me to go! And why are you telling me to go!?"

"He's caught in between you and your father--"

"I don't want to leave him again!"

"Then take him with you to wherever…"

"Why? I can't do that, his education…"

"Set an example for the child…"

"What? You want me to take the job to set an example to Kai?"

"Yes… push him to succeed… take him out of his comfort zone open his eyes to the bigger world! Fulfill your ambition of making him the best thing whatever you call it for him."

"He'd interpret it as--"

"Love…"

"What? Why?"

"When you send your masterpiece of some sort, he'll know your doing it all for him…"

Susumu then felt something cold run down his cheek. "Mom… can you do me a favor? Go to dad… tell him Kai came here and ask him to fetch him while he's still asleep…" Susumu said as he let the tears flow. "I can't…" she said as a fragile expression appeared on her face. "WHY?!" He said angrily. "Because I brought her here…" a familiar voice said that came from behind where his mother was seated.

"You want me to take this job do you?" he said looking up to his father. "I'm not being selfish…" he said with a gentle yet fragile tone. "I know you're not being that, but why?" Susumu said sinking into his chair. "Because this is all that you've wanted, take the chance, stop stalling what you want for yourself son…" at the moment those words slipped out of Voltaire's mouth, Susumu's eyes widened and remembered his grandpa. All those encouraging words, all those pep talks, they were all coming back to him. They came piece by piece. He then took a deep breath and shook his head. "I'll do it… not because you said so, but because I have to go back to how my life was ten years ago…" Susumu said looking at his father with desperate eyes. "Why do you have to punish yourself?" Voltaire asked Susumu who just looked away. "I was just punished dad… didn't you see it?" he said as he wiped the tears away.

Then silence filled the room, Kai hadn't awoken just yet, fortunately because he would go into existential angst mode and leave out all the rest. "Dad…" Susumu said with a fragile tone. His father looked back to the man standing in the doorway. "Take care of Kai…" he said, his father replied with a nod and Susumu went back into his house. "Do you think he made the right choice dear?" his wife asked him. "He did…" and with that, the car headed down the slope and back onto the streets, moving slowly away from the yellow beach house that sat upon the cliff.