~*28*~

"Were your parents excited when you told them about London, you did accept the offer right?" Natsumi asked as Juni filled his mouth with another portion of rice. He, Kumiko and her parents were sat around the dinner table. Juni had been coming to their house for dinner for quite some time now. With a gulp, Juni swallowed his rice.
"I accepted, at the same time as Kumiko but I... I actually haven't told them yet" He responded with a weak smile. Kumiko's gaze darted towards him as she gave a worried look.
"Really? Isn't that something you think they should know?" Masaru laughed.
"I suppose, I'm just trying to find the right time to tell them" Juni smiled. Masaru looked towards his daughter whose eyes found their way down to her plate.

"Well, I'm stuffed!" Masaru beamed as he finished his plate. He leant over to his wife as he gave her a kiss. "Delicious rice Sumi" He smiled.
"Did you enjoy it Juni?" Natsumi asked.
"Yes, it was great!" He nodded.
"I better get back to work on the car, those connectors aren't going to connect themselves" Masaru laughed. "Erm, Juni, you mind giving me a hand?" He asked, folding his bulky arms.
"Juni doesn't know a lot about cars dad" Kumiko smiled. Juni shrugged his shoulders.
"You know about electrics right?" Masaru questioned.
"Sure, a little" Juni nodded.
"Great, come on."
"Then I'll help you with the dishes mom" Kumiko stated as her mother thanked her. Juni and Masaru made their way out of the house to work on Masaru's car.

The hood of the car was held up as Masaru looked inside it, tampering with a few wires. Juni stood off to the side, looking on at the man. Masaru raised his head as he spoke "Juni, come here and hold this down for me" He said, pointing to the end of a wire. Juni nodded as he walked over, doing as Masaru asked. Masaru began to attach another strand of wire to the one that Juni grasped. As he did this he spoke again. "So, why haven't you told your parents yet?" Masaru asked.
"About what?" Jun wondered.
"You know, moving to England, university and that."
"Well, like I said, I just haven't found the right time to do it" Juni shrugged.
"Kumi was pretty excited when she told us, came running home the same day she found out" He laughed. Juni remained quiet.
"You need to flip the battery head around, negative charge to a positive one" He muttered.
"Oh, yeah, of course I knew that" Masaru chuckled. He looked at Juni; a mist of sadness had filled his eyes. "I don't want to seem intrusive or anything" Masaru began, Juni looked up. "But, is it because of your dad?" He asked, Juni gave no response "Kumiko told us about him, gives you a tough time right?"
"I guess" Juni mumbled.
"So, do you think his reaction would be bad?" Masaru asked.
"The exact opposite" Juni sighed. A confused expression came over Masaru's face.
"That's a good thing though, isn't it?"
"Me, moving away and doing something that he chose for me, is the only thing he'd ever be happy with... He's always been overly critical. He needs to have control over what I do, no matter what it is." Juni sighed. "He's tried to stop me seeing my friends, going out..."
"Have you told him about Kumiko?" Masaru asked. Juni shook his head.
"I couldn't..." He replied. Masaru nodded his head. "I don't want him to feel the satisfaction of getting exactly what he wants, of me doing the exact thing he had planned for me. I don't want him to feel like he won."
"But, it's what you want right? I mean, you love maths, so going to London to study what you love has got to be a big deal for you." Masaru stated.
"I do love it; it still doesn't take away from the fact that it was what he decided I should love. He hammered it into me from a young age and, I suppose, I grew to love it." He shrugged.
"Look, Juni. I've known you for how long, it's January, so nearly three months right?" Masaru wondered as Juni nodded. "Even from that short span of time I know you're a good kid. So, talk to your dad. Tell him about Kumiko, your friends, England, everything. If he's any kind of father then he'll listen and be supportive." Masaru stated. Juni nodded slowly at his words. "And hey, if he doesn't, then you're always welcome here."
"Thanks..." Juni smiled. Masaru nodded, as he finished attaching the two wires the headlights of the car produce a blinding light.
"Well, at least it's working now" Masaru laughed as he shielded his eyes from the light. Suddenly the car shut down as the light went out all together. "Crap, well, looks like you're walking home." Masaru sighed.
"Kumiko did tell you, I don't really know much about cars." Juni laughed as Masaru nodded at his words.

Juni waved goodbye to Masaru and Natsumi as Kumiko walked with him to the end of her road. "You're going to tell your parents right?" She asked as they strolled along together.
"I suppose" Juni mumbled. Kumiko came close to the red headed boy as she slipped her fingers in between his, bringing their hands together.
"I'm here for you" She smiled as they came to a stop at the end of her road. He looked into her eyes as he began to speak.
"You know how difficult it is..." Juni sighed.
"I know" She nodded. She smiled at him as he returned it. Looking down to her feet she paused for a moment. As she raised her head she held Juni's other hand. They stood there, grasping each others hands under the night sky. "Look, Juni. I really care about you." She said.
"And I really care about you" He smiled.
"I don't want you to hold back on this, hold back from telling your family about things. They may not act the way you want them to, they may not accept everything that you say and or do but... They're your family and I know you'll regret not saying anything." She said. Juni nodded slowly as Kumiko spoke up again. "By the time we go to London, well we'll be on our own. We'll have no one out there but each other. It may not be a bad idea to patch things up at home; it would be nice for you to have something to look forward to when we do come home." Kumiko stated.
"What if I don't want to come home? What if I wanted to stay out there with you? We wouldn't have to come back." Juni sighed. Kumiko shook her head.
"Juni, there will always be a time when we have to come back. We can't just run away from here. I have my family, you have yours and we have our friends as well. I wouldn't just want to leave that all behind" She smiled as she tilted her head ever so slightly. Juni nodded as his gaze turned to the floor. In that moment he felt a gentle touch upon his chin, raising his head he saw Kumiko's pretty face leaning in towards his. She closed her eyes as she pursed her lips, Juni's heart raced as he did the same. Their lips touched as Juni felt a wave, of what he could have only describe as electricity, course through his body. Moments later Kumiko brought her lips away from Juni's and smiled. He stood there, speechless, unable to produce even the simplest of syllables. "I'll see you tomorrow" Kumiko said as she turned to walk home. Juni remained silent and still as he watched Kumiko fade away down the road as she made her way home. He let out a sigh as a smile came across his face.

"Your first kiss?" Kaito asked as Juni held the phone to his ear.
"Yeah, you know I've never done that" Juni replied. He continued to stroll along the road; he was now nearing the area where Takeshi resided.
"So, over two months and you've only now moved onto kissing?" Kaito chuckled.
"Don't make it sound so weird. I told you, we were taking it slow."
"Were" Kaito laughed. Juni blushed slightly.
"We still are" Juni said, correcting himself.
"Sure, sure" Kaito laughed. Juni came to an alleyway. On the other side lay the rundown area of Hikarizaka, an area Juni was not particularly fond of.
"I'm gonna have to go" Juni stated "I don't want to have my phone stolen... My dad will kill me then."
"Sure man, take care" Kaito replied as Juni hung up his phone. Placing it in his pocket he took a brisk pace through the dark streets. Making his way along the filthy road Juni passed several people laying down, sleeping, shielded from the crisp, cold air by card board boxes and tattered blankets. He couldn't help but feel sorry for these people however, as he had always been told to be cautious around them, he pressed on. As he made his way towards the exit he saw a familiar sight. Next to a few large dumpsters stood the very wall that Gaku had held Juni up against, where Juni had stood up for himself, a gesture that had changed everything for him. Shaking off the memory he made for the exit, making his way into the more friendly part of town.

A while later Juni had reached his home. Before opening the front door he pulled out his phone. It read 10:14 pm. Crap, he thought, Isao would surely be displeased with his son. Of course, that was nothing out of the ordinary for Juni. He took out his key and slowly placed it inside the lock, turning it he gentle pushed the door open as he was met with a frightful sight. Juni's parents were sat in the living room, to the left of Juni. They were facing him as his father had his arms folded.
"Where have you been this time?" Isao asked, Juni's mother had a worried look on her face.
"At Kaito's house" Juni muttered.
"Well, I doubt it. It seems that's all you ever do" His father stated. Juni said nothing; he merely looked down towards his feet. "Junichiro, you look at me when I'm speaking" Isao said. Juni's eyes found their way to Isao's. "Where have you been?" He asked, repeating his previous question.
"I told yo-"
"No!" Isao shouted as Junko shot back a little, shocked at her husband's response. "Tell me the truth."
"Why?" Juni questioned.
"What?"
"Why should I tell you the truth? So you can be angry? So you can put me down as you always do?" Juni asked, raising his voice.
"Put you down?" Isao mumbled.
"Yeah! It's all you ever do! Mom knows it but she's too scared of you to say anything!" Juni yelled. Isao shot up from his seat as he grabbed hold of his son, backing him up to the wall. Juni began to struggle.
"Isao don't!" Junko cried as she attempted to pull her husband off of her son. Isao pushed her off of him as she back away. He kept a hold of Juni as he began to speak.
"Listen to me you little shit. All I've ever done for you is provide, help you reach your potential and set you straight. You repay me by making friends with two thugs and three whores, getting into fights in and out of school, neglecting your family and duties here... What else is there?!" He yelled as he began to fume, his face had turned a deep red. Juni remained quiet, looking off away from his father he swallowed his urged to cry. Looking back to Isao he spoke.
"Isao, you can say what you want about me; you can put me down but never say anything about my friends." He stated in an unusually calm tone.
"It's what they are and you know it." His father smirked. Juni began to clench his fist as his father tightened his grip; his smirk was still spread across his face. For Juni, those few seconds felt like they would never end. In his father Juni saw everything that he had hated about himself, all of his insecurities, his weaknesses. At this moment in time Juni could see no difference between the man that stood before him and Gaku. Pulling his fist back Juni was about to swing for the bully as one image entered his mind. It was an image that filled him with warmth and calmness, a beautiful girl with blue eyes and a bob of brunette hair. Juni returned to his senses as he relaxed his fist. The anger in his eyes left as he reached up for Isao's wrists. As he pulled them off of his shirt Isao slowly let go of the boy. Juni shook his head. Isao looked on, not recognising the boy that stood there.
"You want to know what else there is?" Juni began "Takeshi and Kaito are my best friends. They've looked out for me since my first year. They've protected me against bullies when you wouldn't even hear me out on the matter. One of those 'whores' as you put it is my girlfriend, Kumiko. She's amazing, mom you would have loved her. She's intelligent, beautiful and kind. We... We're going to London together." He stated. His parents shared an expression of shock. "Yeah, I've been offered a place to study Mathematics in London, a scholarship actually. You know something? I can't wait to go so that I can finally leave this place; I can finally get away from you!" He yelled, pointing at Isao. "I'll tell you something, since meeting my friends, since taking on my bullies and standing up for myself, since meeting someone who thinks the world of me... I'm actually happy. When I go, when I leave for London... I won't be coming back." Juni sighed. "You're not worth it anymore dad" He said. The anger which had left Juni's eyes had found its way to Isao's as he turned red once again.
"Fine!" He shouted "If you want to leave Junichiro then leave! Get the fuck out of my house now!"
"What?" Juni questioned.
"Isao, you can't kick our son ou-"
"Save it!" Isao snapped. Junko went quiet again. "Get out, get your things and leave now. You're not welcome in this house anymore." He stated, looking away from the boy he once called his son. Juni looked towards his mother, tears rolled down her cheeks yet she said nothing.

After getting together his essentials Juni stood at the front door of the house. Isao had gone to his bedroom, locking the door behind him. Junko stood next her son.
"I'm sorry mom" Juni sighed. His mother shook her head as she placed a hand on her son's cheek.
"It's my fault, I should have said or done something a long time ago" She croaked. "Where are you staying tonight?"
"I gave Kaito a call, he's letting me stay for a few days."
"Good" She smiled. Juni embraced his mother as they held each other in their arms. Releasing her son, she spoke. "I'm sure it will all be okay in a few days" She stated.
"It won't" Juni replied as his mother began to cry again.
"I love you" She said, giving a weak smile.
"I love you too" Juni nodded. With that, Juni turned away and left his home. He didn't look back as he made his way along the road towards Kaito's house. Junko looked on as her son grew smaller and smaller in the distance. She wiped another tear away from from her cheek as she closed the door behind her, allowing her son to finally be free.

~*28*~