Blue Part Five
By Chash
Stupid school. I really should have finished this before it started. Thanks to my two faithful reviewers, glad you guys are enjoying this. I hope it might one day end. It's a distant dream, though. As usual, Japanese is translated at the end. I am aware Nao and Ken are super-good at English, but I think I explained that. Really, it's just so that I can be lazier ^_~ And Oita-ken is hot as hell. I spent a summer month there and it's nasty heat.
"Man, Nao, you look like you didn't sleep a wink. You okay?" Ken asked, concerned. Naozumi looked surprised, but nodded.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Ken didn't quite believe it, but was willing to let it go. After all, Sana was getting married soon. If Naozumi had been marrying someone, even Sana, Ken doubted he himself would be in a better state at the prospect of his loss. Not, of course, that he had anything to loose. It was still a loss, though.
"All right," he said after a long wait. "I wish you'd talk to me, Nao."
Naozumi looked as if he might say something, but stopped. Ken couldn't identify the origin of the pained look on his face. Naozumi swallowed and might have spoken, but Sana (as usual) beat him to it.
"O-HA-YO-U!" Sana bounded up. Naozumi smiled at her, but the dark patches under his eyes detracted from the image somewhat. Sana blinked. "Naozumi-kun? Daijoubu?"
"Hai!"
"Eto… you're speaking Japanese, so you can't be all right! You haven't spoken Japanese since you got here."
"It's really nothing. I just had trouble sleeping."
Sana looked alarmed. "Are you sick?" she asked, putting her hand to his forehead. "Do you need pills medicine towels bath shower doctor lawyer car plane train—"
"No," Naozumi broke her thoughts. "I just couldn't sleep. It was too hot in the room."
Ken, deciding even if Naozumi was lying, he could use some help, so he backed the other boy up. "It was really hot. I'm from Oita-ken, though, so I'm used to it."
"Ah, sou ka, sou ka. Okay, I have to go plan. Lots to do, lots to do! You two have your outfits, ne?"
"Yes, Sana-chan."
"Ah. Jaaaaaaaa!" And she ran off. Ken blinked. It was, probably, the most common response to Sana.
"What do you want to do today other than sleep?" asked Ken at last. Naozumi considered this.
"Sleep more?"
"Come on, Nao. You have two more days in Japan, today and tomorrow. Tomorrow's the wedding. Anything you want to do in Japan for a while you need to do today."
"Well…" Naozumi thought for a long time. "I'd like to be with you. Where would you like to go?"
Ken thought for a long time. "Ueno Park. I want to go to Ueno Park and see the sakura trees. I haven't been in Tokyo for a while and I don't imagine I'll be coming back for a while."
"All right," Naozumi agreed. "Let's go to Ueno Park."
"Most people come here in the springtime, you know," Naozumi pointed out. Ken nodded.
"It's fall though, so I figured I might as well. Sakura trees are pretty shedding their leaves too. So I guess there's no disadvantage, right Nao? It's still pretty, isn't it?"
"It is," Naozumi responded, though it sounded as if his brain was somewhere else entirely. Probably the wedding, Ken reasoned.
"I always wanted to come here. My sister would talk about Ueno Park a lot."
"You have a sister?"
"Yes, an older sister. She was at college when I met you."
"That explains why I never saw here. You've never mentioned her, though."
"It never came up. What about this disturbs you so much?"
"Just… I don't know anything about your family. We've been friends for a while and I never bothered to ask…"
"You know my parents."
"Yes, but only to the extent of, 'hai, Nigahara-san, I'll take care of your only son.' I don't even know what your parents do for a living."
"My father's an engineer. My mother stays at home. She does the housework and all that. I have an older sister, Meiko, and a younger brother, Takahashi. Meiko is a senior at college, Takahashi is a second year in high school. He likes video games and is a demon at Dance Dance Revolution. She likes shoujo manga and doramas. Is that good?"
"Thanks, Ken," Naozumi said. Ken blinked. It looked like the other boy was about to cry.
"Okay, Nao, I've been patient enough, so explain. What's wrong? You said you were fine with the wedding."
"I am. It's just…" Naozumi shook his head. "I didn't sleep much last night. I was restless. So I'm not at my best."
Ken sighed. "I wish you would trust me. I know you pretty well, Naozumi. I know when you're lying. And I know that there's something more wrong with you. Believe me; I would feel the same way if the person I loved was getting married. I want to help you deal with this. Please just talk to me."
Naozumi looked away. "It's nothing, really," he assured Ken. His voice was wet with tears.
"Dammit, Nao…"
"Let's just look at the sakura trees, okay?" Naozumi suggested, his voice forced into cheerfulness. "That's why we came."
"We're too similar, you know that?" Ken asked, stopping Naozumi's course towards the path. "You and me and Sana-san, we'll all smile through anything. Hayama-san is different, though. You must have noticed. Sana-san will smile and say she's fine, she'll say it as she's crying. You're like that too. I'm far too stubborn and silly about crying to let anyone see me when I'm crying, but I won't admit it to anyone. Nao, I understand. And I'm sorry. I just want to help you. But I understand. I understand that you're stubborn and don't want help. But I am your friend. Sorry if you're mad," Ken turned to the subway. "I guess I'll see you at the rehearsal dinner. And don't tell me there's nothing to be sorry for, because you know as well as I do that there's something you won't tell me. And if there's something I've done to make you not trust me, then it's something to be sorry about," Ken leaned down and kissed Naozumi's forehead before walking off to the subway and leaving Naozumi alone in the trees.
He was surprised, as he walked away, to feel tears stinging his eyes.
tbc.