Blue Part Six
Woo! We're writing again. And, as I again forgot the Japanese translations at the end, here we have the backlogs. Which I hope I will not forget. Damn my feeble brain. Also, in the last part, Naozumi says "Hai, Nigahara-san, I'll take care of your only son" and in the next line Ken says that he has a brother. So chalk that one up to Naozumi not knowing about Ken's family.
Ken: Instead of chalking it up to your stupidity like we should?
…On with part six.
"Oi, you all right?" Naozumi turned. He had been sitting in the hotel restaurant poking at his meal with his chopsticks until the voice distracted him.
"Hayama-kun?"
Hayama Akito sat down next to him and ordered some sushi.
"What's wrong with you? She won't be happy if you're sad tomorrow."
"Is that your way of being concerned?"
He shrugged. "I love her, so I want her to be happy. If that involves you being happy, that's okay. So what's wrong?"
"I'm moving to America."
"That'll make her unhappy."
"Seeing her makes me unhappy."
He nodded. "Why move?"
"I like it there."
"So why are you unhappy?"
Naozumi had to smile. Only Hayama had the ability to be at once trying to cheer someone up but also give off a complete and total air of uncaring.
"Ken won't miss me."
"So?"
"He's my friend. I don't understand why he won't miss me."
"Ask him."
'Well, he never really told me he wouldn't miss me, so it would be impolite to assume."
"So why do you think he wouldn't miss you?" asked Hayama, nodding thanks as his sushi came.
"I could tell from the way he said he'd miss me. He was lying."
"So ask him why."
"But he said he would miss me. He'd just tell me he would miss me."
Hayama shrugged again. "Then don't. Just be happy tomorrow."
Naozumi nodded. "Thanks, Hayama-kun."
"Whatever."
"You," Hayama addressed Ken when he finally found the other boy. Ken blinked.
"What is it?"
"Sana will be unhappy," he said. Ken blinked several more times.
"What?"
"For some reason she likes Kamura. As long as Kamura's unhappy, she'll be unhappy. You're making Kamura unhappy. Stop."
"What?"
Hayama said nothing. Ken considered his words.
"How am I making Nao unhappy?"
"He says he's going to America and you won't miss him."
"I said I would."
"He says you're lying. You are."
Ken sighed. "I'm going after him."
"It is because you don't hate him."
"I l—" Ken started, but Hayama smirked.
"I know. Tell him that."
"I want it to be a surprise."
"Lie better."
Ken walked back to the room, thinking about what Hayama had told him. He opened up the door to see Naozumi just sitting on the bed staring at the wall. Ken crossed the room and lay down on his own bed for a long time, staring at the ceiling.
"You okay?" he asked finally.
"Yeah, sorry I'm so down," Naozumi said, smiling.
"Tell me why?"
"Just the wedding, I guess. You know."
"Sure, Nao. You'll be fine tomorrow."
"I know I will. Because I'm always fine."
"Yeah. Because you're always fine."
They dressed the next morning in silence, pulling on jackets and ties. It was to be a western style wedding, something that did not surprise Naozumi in the slightest. He sighed.
"I've been afraid of this since I first met Hayama-kun," he said. Ken looked over at him, but said nothing, waiting for him to continue instead. "I knew he loved her and I knew she loved him and I could tell that they were going to get married and live happily ever after. It's obvious looking at them. And I always knew this day would come and there I'd be, all alone while they're going off to be happy."
Ken smiled. It didn't reach past the edges of his lips. "You're not all alone, Nao. Saying stuff like that makes me feel unimportant."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to. Do me a favor and tell me you'll miss me again."
"I'll miss you, Nao."
And for some reason, Naozumi believed him this time. Ken smiled. "We should get going soon. We don't want to be late."
"No, we don't."
And before he could think about it, he took Ken's hand and they walked out toward the church.
"I think you're more nervous than the bride," Ken teased.
"She just doesn't show it."
"GAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" The wedding party sweatdropped as Sana's voice echoed the church.
"Of course she doesn't," Ken agreed with a smirk. Kamura-san, sitting next to them, smiled.
"It is good seeing girl from Kamura Institution get married. What about you, Naozumi?"
"Not yet…" Naozumi said uncomfortably. Ken smiled.
"Nao still has to find the right girl."
"Ahh," Kamura-san replied and then returned to the rebellious children. Ken smiled.
"It'll be over soon, Nao," he whispered, hoping Kamura-san wouldn't hear. Naozumi nodded.
"I know it will. Don't worry about me."
"You're very easy to worry about. It's the cute face," Ken explained, nodding his head wisely. Naozumi almost laughed.
"Right, Ken."
"Cheer up. Sana-san already has something blue at her wedding."
It was a beautiful ceremony. Naozumi was amazed at how calm and normal it had been, even with the bride wearing a burrucha (which went off during the vows) and a Kero-chan pin (which one of the children from the Kamura Institute tried to steal) and a trumpet (which she blew twice after the kiss) and a blue tulip in her hair (which she loved and was even normal). Hayama was dignified and Sana was happy and it was beautiful. Naozumi had toasted them.
"I've known Sana-chan for a long time now," he had said, smiling. "I know her well enough that it used to make Hayama-kun jealous, but I think he's gotten over that. I don't think I ever got to know Hayama-kun very well, but you don't have to know him very well to know that he loves Sana-chan. I've known since we were twelve that this day was going to come and I don't think it could come soon enough for them. And I know they'll be happy together for a long time," he even smiled as he raised his glass. "To the bride and groom."
And everyone toasted, even the twenty little children from the Kamura Institute. They had apple juice. Naozumi blinked. Sana was with them, also toasting with apple juice. She had strapped her shoes to her knees and knelt on them, trying to look shorter. She looked so happy.
Naozumi smiled as he drank, willing back the tears. This was Sana's wedding and she didn't need another blue thing, like Ken had said. So he smiled and danced and had fun and at the end of the night got ready for his flight home. Sana and Hayama had already left on the honeymoon. He would tell her later about moving, once he was far away. He would not affect her joy today for the world.
"You're leaving then?" asked Ken. Naozumi saw him leaning against the wall, something unreadable in his eyes.
"Yeah, first thing tomorrow morning."
"Good luck, I guess."
"Thanks, Ken," he walked over and hugged the other boy. "You're going home, right?"
Ken didn't say anything for a little while. "Yes," he said at last. "I'm going home."
"I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too. Goodbye, Nao."
"Goodbye, Ken."
On the plane the next day, Naozumi finally let himself cry.
Owari.
(one story to go! Thanks for reading "Blue," everyone!)
Japanese Phrases from Blue Part Five
Ohayou – good morning. Sana does it by syllables.
Daijoubu? – are you all right?
Hai – yes
Eto – umm…
Sou ka, sou ka – I see, I see
Ja – Bye! (Sana holds it for a while)
Doramas are Japanese soap operas.