~*36*~
He kept on running; chasing that phantom, that apparition he so wished to see. He ran across the growing landscape, never reaching its end. Never stopping, always running, never stopping, always running...
"Kaito" A voice said. As he was brought back to reality Kaito looked up. He saw the dull face of an elderly man, he wore a suit. Looking around, he saw his friends also dressed rather formally. Mr Miyagi was also stood across from him, giving a weak smile. Mrs. Nakano and Ryou were also present. "Kaito" The man said again. "Would you like to say a few words?" Kaito looked to the large headstone which lay in front of him 'Here lies Sayuri Sakumoto, loving wife, mother and grandmother. 1943 - 2024'.
"M-" Kaito uttered as he sighed. He had prepared a speech yet; he could not bring himself to say the words. "My... My gran..." He said as he wiped his tearful eyes. As brought his hand back down to his side he shook his head. "No, no I don't want to" He sighed. The man nodded.
"Very well" He said. Juni placed a hand on Kaito's shoulder in support. To Kaito's left he saw that Takeshi was stood with Yumi, arms crossed as Yumi lent her head on his shoulder. Kumiko was comforting Ushio off to the side.
Kaito along with Mr. Miyagi and the elderly man sat in the well lit office. There were book shelves that covered the walls along with a large desk and several leather chairs. Kaito sat on one side with Mr. Miyagi as the elderly man sat at the other, back turned to the window. "Really now, it's just a matter of Sayuri's will" He stated. Kaito didn't speak; he simply stared off into space.
"Kaito?" Mr. Miyagi asked, Kaito looked his way with his puffy red eyes. "We're doing the will okay?" His sensei said, Kaito nodded at the man.
"Right" The other man began "This is for you" He said as he handed an envelope to Kaito. His name was written across it. "Open it when you wish, it's just paper inside, I assume some kind of letter." Kaito nodded in reply. "Now, all of your grandmother's belonging have been left to you, as well as the rest of her money, well what was left of it."
"Left of it?" Mr. Miyagi asked.
"Yes, there was a fair bit of debt on her account along with the mortgage on the house which still hasn't been fully paid." Mr. Miyagi looked to Kaito; he was beginning to get worried. Looking back to the man he spoke again.
"So what's left of it?"
"Well, I shouldn't have said that. Strictly speaking there is no physical money left" He muttered. Mr. Miyagi looked towards Kaito again; he was slouched in his chair. Taking a breath Kaito spoke.
"Look, I don't care about the money, is this it? Can we leave?" He asked, turning to his teacher. "Please?"
"There's one more thing" The man said.
"What?"
"You're grandmother has left you the house, recently valued at 11,348,961 Yen. Since you have recently turned 18, you are free to do with the property as you please. Yet, there is still the mortgage to consider, so you may want to think about things before you make any decisions."
"Okay, great" Kaito said as he turned to Miyagi. "Please, can we go now?" He asked. Mr. Miyagi's eyes went misty as he gave a weak smile and nodded.
"Thank you for your time" Mr. Miyagi said as he shook the elderly man's hand, then, he and Kaito left the room.
Juni, Yumi, Takeshi, Kumiko and Ushio sat in the reference room at school. They were eating their lunch. "Do we even know how she died?" Takeshi asked.
"Kaito never said..." Ushio sighed.
"It doesn't really matter though, does it?" Yumi questioned. Kumiko shook her head.
"Not right now, no."
"Besides" Juni began "I don't think Kaito should be thinking about things like that. Right now, he just needs some support, even if that means staying away for a while."
"I suppose you're right" Takeshi sighed. "Still, this just doesn't feel right, being here without him..."
"It doesn't feel right at all" Ushio agreed.
"He didn't event come to the Founder's Festival" Yumi remarked.
"Yeah, but without you guys performing it blew" Takeshi replied.
"At least Kouko and Fuko had a good time" Kumiko smiled. Ushio nodded at her friend.
"Yeah, they always do."
Later that day Juni and Kumiko were walking along to his parent's house. As they made their way near the local park they looked over in the direction of Kaito's home. "Should we see if he's alright?" Asked Juni.
"But you said to leave him be" Kumiko replied. Juni nodded at her.
"I know but he hasn't answered his phone, replied to a text or even attended school... Nothing."
"Maybe... We could just go up to his house, see if he's in, if the lights are on?" Kumiko suggested.
"Alright" Juni smiled as they made their way over to Kaito's road.
Kaito sat in side his living room, on the floor, knees up to his chest in complete darkness. He had been there for a while, only moving to eat, use the toilet or sleep. Yet, those things were a rarity for him at the moment. As he sat there, contemplating his sorrows, he heard muffled voices coming from outside. He crawled over to the hallway which led to the front door of his house. Sitting in the door way he listened. "The lights aren't on" One voice said.
"It seems like all the curtains and blinds are shut though."
"Do you think he's in there?"
"I don't know..." Kaito could barely recognise the voices, yet, they did sound quite familiar.
"Kaito! If you can hear me, then just know... We're all here for you and we miss you!"
"Come on..." One of the voices said as Kaito heard muffled footsteps walk away. Kaito wiped his eyes as he slumped over towards the kitchen. Opening the fridge he looked in on the bare shelves as he sighed.
"Suppose I'll have to go shopping..." He mumbled.
"Maybe Junichiro is right?" Tomoya suggested as he, Nagisa and Ushio sat at the dinner table.
"Maybe..." Ushio sighed.
"Look, Sakumoto is going through something's right now" Nagisa smiled. "We've all been through things similar."
"It's like the time we lost granddad" Tomoya stated as he picked up some rice with his chopsticks. "We all took it hard but, it just takes time" He smiled. Nagisa placed a hand on Tomoya's arm as they shared a smile.
"You're dad's right sweetie. He just needs a bit of time." Ushio let out another sigh as she continued to eat her dinner.
Juni and Kumiko sat down with Junko. They had been paying her visits more frequently lately. "So when's he coming out?" Juni asked.
"They said tomorrow, which is a relief" Junko smiled.
"I never knew he would have to stay in for so long" Kumiko remarked.
"Yes, it does seem unusual. Still, I'm glad he's alright... Everything seems to be sorting itself out right now" Stated Junko.
"Yeah" Kumiko smiled.
"How is your friend doing?" Junko asked as she looked to Juni.
"Oh, yeah he's okay I suppose. I think he's just having a break from everything right now..." Juni sighed.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be alright" Junko said with a sweet smile, Juni nodded at his mother unsure as to whether or not she was right.
Kaito made his way up his road. He had a few bags of shopping with him. His hair was greasy, he had stubble which covered his chin and a foul smell followed him. As he approached his messy garden he saw a familiar face. Mr. Miyagi was sat outside his front door, smiling at him. "I knocked, you weren't in so I thought I'd wait" He said.
"Right..." Kaito replied with a nod.
"How are you doing for money?" Mr. Miyagi asked.
"I have some savings."
"What about your parents?"
"Whatever I got from them went to my gran... She gave it to me a long time ago." Mr. Miyagi nodded at his words.
"You've missed a fair bit of school."
"Yeah well..." Kaito sighed.
"I've been marking you down as ill. It won't look as bad in the long run that way" Miyagi smiled.
"Thanks."
"Listen" Mr. Miyagi began "I was doing some thinking Kaito."
"About?"
"About you, the house... Look, maybe you should se-"
"I'm not selling it" Kaito said, interrupting the man. "I can't, it was her house..."
"You can't stay here" Mr. Miyagi said as came closer to Kaito.
"Why not?!" Kaito snapped "It's my house now; it's all I fucking have left!"
"Kaito!" Mr. Miyagi yelled Kaito went quiet at the man's out burst. "I know it's hard, believe me I know exactly how you feel but, we have to move on."
"Move on?!" Mr. Miyagi nodded at him. "How can you say that? She's was all I had, you know that... I can't, I can't..." Kaito wept as he broke into tears, nearly losing his balance his sensei caught him in his arm. Kaito lent his head against the man as Mr. Miyagi held him up. "I miss her so much" Kaito mumbled as his tears rolled down his face.
"I know" Mr. Miyagi nodded "I know..." Letting out a cough, Mr. Miyagi let go of Kaito as the boy looked up to him. Placing his hand on Kaito's shoulders the man began to speak. "Listen to me Kaito, you have to look out for yourself now, you understand?" Kaito nodded slightly. "I know it's hard to but you need to keep a clear head. If-If you sell this place then you'd have enough money for a fresh start, you could rent your own place, get a job and make something for yourself." Kaito wiped his eyes again. "We both know you're not going to college, it's the harsh truth but I think you already know it." Kaito nodded again. "I'm trying to look out for you, it's my job, and it's been my job since day one..."
"I know" Kaito smiled.
"Just think about it, if you decide to, let me know and I'll sort it all out for you." Kaito thanked his teacher as Mr. Miyagi began to walk away. Before leaving however, he turned to Kaito again. "Make something for yourself Kaito" He said before taking to the street. Kaito stood there for a moment thinking over what Mr. Miyagi had said; he then entered the house, shutting the door behind him.
That night, at around 11:00pm, Ushio stared at her ceiling as she lay down in her futon. Her parents had gone to bed as well, her father usually went to work early and her mother would need to be up for 07:00am to help prepare the bread for Akio and Sanae's bakery. She looked out into the darkness of her room, she couldn't sleep. There was only one thing on her mind right now, Kaito... She knew what she needed to do. She couldn't fight it any longer; she hadn't seen the boy for over a week, she had to make sure he was alright. Slipping into her shoes, she threw a jacket on over her pyjamas. Being ever so quiet, she opened her bedroom door and made sure the coast was clear. After making her way down the stairs she opened the front door, taking the key she exited and closed the door. Locking up, she made her way out into the crisp, cold night.
About 30 minutes later Ushio came to Kaito's road. Looking over to her grandparent's bakery she noticed a few lights were still on. Hoping not to be seen, she quickly made her way past the park and on towards Kaito's home.
Approaching the door of the house, Ushio placed her fist upon it to knock yet, just then the door slowly creaked open. "Kaito?" She asked in a hush tone, there was no response. Debating whether or not to enter she decided to continue on inside. A rather foul smell hit her as she entered the living room, it was dark and dusty. It hadn't been cleaned for a while. "Kaito?" She asked again yet, still, there was no response. She made her way over to the bedrooms, Kaito's was empty as was, what used to be, Sayuri's. At the end of the hallway lay the attic's pull down stair way; it was open. Ushio walked over to it as she looked up. Coming from it was the only true source of light the house now had. She placed her hands and her feet on the pull down ladder as she climbed up it.
As Ushio peered into the attic she saw boxes upon boxes of old photographs, ornaments, tapes and books. In the centre of all of this sat Kaito, a small television and a lamp. "Kaito?" She asked as she saw the boy. Keeping his gaze fixed on a photograph in his hand Kaito spoke.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a dry tone.
"I-I wanted to see you. Everyone's worried about you..."
"Are they?"
"Yes... Wh-Where have you been?" Ushio wondered as she knelt down in front of him, finding a space among the masses of old items.
"I've been here" He replied "Everyday." Kaito looked up to Ushio as he held out the picture in his hand. "Look at this" He said. Ushio took the picture from him. On it was a man, a woman and a young boy who Ushio instantly recognised as younger Kaito. "I was 8 when that was taken. Do you recognise that place?"
"It's where we went for your birthday..." Ushio muttered.
"I was 8 and I had forgotten about it. That's why it was so familiar. My parents had taken me there." He sighed.
"What happened to them?" Ushio asked, yet for this question she knew there could only be one answer, one that she was dreading.
"I want to tell you... I do." Kaito stated. "I've never told anyone, even Keshi and Juni don't know the full story. Miyagi knows, yet the same as Keshi and Juni, I never told him the full story."
"Kaito... You don't have t-"
"No, I will..." He said, giving a weak smile. "When I was 11, my parents and I we... We were in the car. We were coming back from, well... Do you remember how good I was at laser tag?" Kaito asked with a chuckle. Ushio nodded. "My dad used to take me; he and my mom would come and play with me. I went a lot... I made out to the others that I had never been, I just wanted something for myself you know? A happy memory for me..." He sighed. "Really, it was just a normal day. Yet, on the way home my parents were arguing for some reason... I don't even remember what it was about, that's the worse thing." Kaito sniffed as he continued, Ushio remained with her eyes locked on him. "It was winter and it was snowing... A lot. I guess I was being a nuisance or something because I remember my mom telling me off. Then, my dad lost control; the car spun and just kept spinning until- until it flipped." Tears formed in Kaito's eyes. "I was out cold and when I came to I was in a hospital bed." Kaito shook his head as he wiped his eyes. "Neither of my parents survived..." He said as he hung his head in his hands. A tear rolled down Ushio's cheek as she placed her hand on Kaito's arm, Kaito looked back up. "It was my fault Ushio, all of it."
"Kaito, no."
"It was my fault then and it's my fault now."
"You ca-"
"What do you know?" Kaito asked "Ushio, the guilt's ate away at me every fucking day! When my gran started with her dementia I-I brought every thing up here, everything to do with my parents, with her and with me. I didn't want to remember any of it and, guess what? It worked! I forgot the places I went with them, the things we had done and now... Now I'm a complete fucking mess" Kaito sobbed.
"Kaito..."
"When my parents died, I was brought to live with my gran... I didn't speak for weeks. Then, one day, my gran sat me down and spoke to me. She... She told me that I didn't have to be alone, that I had her and she had me. She had lost her son, I had lost my parents. She told me that I was her boy, that I was her everything..." Kaito wiped his eyes again. "I'm alone again Ushio, I don't want to be alone..."
"Kaito, you don't have to be" She smiled. "We're all here for you; everyone misses you and cares about you. Even my parents are worried, even Aki asks about you. You don't have to do this alone." She said as she hugged him. Kaito brought his arms up and Ushio cradled him. As Ushio held Kaito, he spoke.
"I'm glad you're my friend Ushio..." He whispered. Ushio's heart dropped as she swallowed her feelings.
"Me too" She replied. They stayed there for a while; there shadow's merged within the lamp light. Amongst the midst of the piles of photos and books sat a piece of paper. On it there was a paragraph of writing.
'Dear Kaito, if you are reading this then that means I am gone from this world. I am writing this at a time in my life when I have had some troubling news. I know that at some point I shall no longer recognise you, that at some point I shall be dependent on you for every basic need. I want to thank you for this; I know you will be there for me. I know you will be okay after I am gone, you are a wonderful and strong young man and I am proud to call you my boy. My boy, my little Kaito. There are no words to express the love I have for you, or the love your parents had for you, I know they would also be proud. I do not want you to be sad or feel any amount of guilt for what has happened in your life; you have gone through more than any one person could. Despite the unforeseeable future I will tell you something for certain, you will never be alone, you will always have those who care for you, may it be it your family, friends or even your mentors, you will never be alone. Stay strong Kaito for I am in a better place. My boy, with love, your Gran.'
~*36*~