Ch. 11: Nothing Else Matters
*Special disclaimer: "Nothing Else Matters" is copyrighted to Metallica *
Tears filled the eyes of Alice Nonomura as Kenji, Yugo, and Mitsuko carried boxes to a moving van. She held her adopted sister, Uriko, close.
"I can't believe your getting married, and moving out!" she cried.
"Yeah, it was kind of a shock to me to. But sis, you're starting to embarrass me."
Alice started to let go, and Mitsuko, their mother walked over. "You gotta let her go," she said. "Uriko's all grown up now."
"Yeah, I know." she replied.
"Besides, we're only moving down the street. It's walking distance."
"And," Alice's new husband, Yugo said as he dropped a box into the van "now we'll have the house to ourselves."
"Your right," Alice finally admitted.
"You're all set, Kenji." Yugo said. "We'll meet you up there, if Alice doesn't have a breakdown first."
Yugo drove the van, with Kenji riding shotgun, while Alice, Mitsuko, and Uriko rode in Kenji's Prowler. Yugo looked over at him. "Man, I can't believe you actually went through with it."
"Yeah," Kenji replied, "I was a bundle of nerves, though. If it weren't for Kane constantly prodding me, and Sarah telling me she'd kick me in the crotch if I didn't, I don't think I could have done it."
"I can't wait to meet this 'Kane' person." Yugo said.
The van pulled up into Kane's driveway, and past the main house to his guesthouse. Along the way they passed a white gazebo, and Uriko practically jumped from the car.
"It's perfect!" she exclaimed.
"What is?" her sister asked.
"This place! It's perfect for the wedding!"
Kane and Sarah were already waiting as the van backed in. Yugo and Kenji walked out. "Yugo, this is Kane Darkholm and Sarah Harding."
"It's nice to meet you both," Yugo said looking up at Kane. "No wonder he beat you, he's bigger than Gado!" he whispered to Kenji. "You must have hit the big time to have an estate this big."
My father was the founder of RavenTech Incorporated." Kane replied.
"Oh yeah," Yugo replied, "Kenji told me that you made him a CEO."
Kane walked over to the van. "Yeah, business management was never my strong point, and since Kenji had prior experience, I thought he'd be perfect."
The day wore on, and finally everything was moved into the house. Uriko, Mitsuko, Sarah, and Alice spent the early evening hours and into the night arranging everything into its proper place, while Yugo, Kenji, and Kane sat out on the lawn. Yugo and Kane downed a couple of beers, which Kenji declined.
"I owe you," Yugo told Kenji, "I've been trying to get Kenji to marry that girl for months now, and it took me nine weeks just to get him to ask her on a date the first time!" Kenji started to turn red.
"Well," Kane replied, "you're not seven feet tall."
"True," Yugo said as Uriko, Alice, and Mitsuko walked out of the house.
"I think it's about time we headed home." Mitsuko said.
"Alright," Yugo picked himself up. "Later, kiddo. Kane," he said shaking the seven footers hand, then lowering his voice, "remember, bachelor party, week before the wedding, Russo's Men's Club"
"Got it." He replied as Yugo walked away. Uriko and Kenji followed. Kane walked back to join Sarah, then caught up to the others. Everybody said his or her goodbyes and congratulations, and the van pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Kane, Sarah, Kenji and Uriko all stood there for a moment, as if trying to rationalize all that had happened. The silence was broken when Sarah yawned.
"I'm going to bed. You coming Kaney?" she said coyly.
"Sure thing, babe, I'll be there in a sec." He turned to Kenji and Uriko. He looked straight at Uriko, who was doing her best to suppress a giggle. "Not one word." He said and turned to enter the house. As soon as he was gone, Uriko let out a quiet laugh. After she had let it out, they turned toward the guesthouse, and went in.
"Our own house." Uriko thought as she climbed into bed with Kenji. She turned out the light, and looked over to Kenji. "I think we should celebrate," she teased as she climbed on top of him.
Hours later, Uriko looked at the ceiling, fulfilled with her lovemaking that evening. Kenji was asleep, but Uriko's mind would not rest. Everything was happening so fast, and she had not had time to absorb and take it all in. She tried to close her eyes, but sleep still would not come. Faintly, she heard a guitar playing. Her curiosity took over, and she slipped from Kenji's embraced, and put her robe on.
The cool night air shook the cobwebs from her mind, allowing her jumbled thoughts to trouble her with clarity, but now she could distinctively make out the music. She turned towards its source. As she got closer, she could make out a voice. It was singing a familiar song.
iSo close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters
Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters Never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know So close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters Never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters Never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No nothing else matters /i
Uriko clapped, and the figure sitting in the gazebo looked up. It was Kane.
"I didn't know you played guitar," she said.
"When I can't sleep, I come out here and play. It relaxes me. It's what I wanted to do with my life, but my father would have nothing of it. Art and music, that's all I ever needed. Had a summer job a few years back, DJing at parties. People would always ask me why, when my father was so wealthy. It wasn't the money, I'd say, it was the satisfaction of doing it, and the love of music." He replied, in a quiet voice she never heard in him before.
"That's the song that that played the night Kenji proposed to me, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah. 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica."
"Kane, if it's not too much trouble, could you play that at the wedding?"
"Sure thing. Then you don't have to pay for a DJ."
"Thanks. And one more thing, I want to have the wedding here, at this gazebo. You know, it's what I always pictured ever since I was a little girl."
"Sure. This was were my Father and Mother were married, you know."
"Thanks." Uriko walked away, as Kane started strumming the guitar. All the thoughts she had dissipated, and she was certain of her future. It was as if a fog had been lifted, and she could clearly see her and Kenji, together forever.
*Special disclaimer: "Nothing Else Matters" is copyrighted to Metallica *
Tears filled the eyes of Alice Nonomura as Kenji, Yugo, and Mitsuko carried boxes to a moving van. She held her adopted sister, Uriko, close.
"I can't believe your getting married, and moving out!" she cried.
"Yeah, it was kind of a shock to me to. But sis, you're starting to embarrass me."
Alice started to let go, and Mitsuko, their mother walked over. "You gotta let her go," she said. "Uriko's all grown up now."
"Yeah, I know." she replied.
"Besides, we're only moving down the street. It's walking distance."
"And," Alice's new husband, Yugo said as he dropped a box into the van "now we'll have the house to ourselves."
"Your right," Alice finally admitted.
"You're all set, Kenji." Yugo said. "We'll meet you up there, if Alice doesn't have a breakdown first."
Yugo drove the van, with Kenji riding shotgun, while Alice, Mitsuko, and Uriko rode in Kenji's Prowler. Yugo looked over at him. "Man, I can't believe you actually went through with it."
"Yeah," Kenji replied, "I was a bundle of nerves, though. If it weren't for Kane constantly prodding me, and Sarah telling me she'd kick me in the crotch if I didn't, I don't think I could have done it."
"I can't wait to meet this 'Kane' person." Yugo said.
The van pulled up into Kane's driveway, and past the main house to his guesthouse. Along the way they passed a white gazebo, and Uriko practically jumped from the car.
"It's perfect!" she exclaimed.
"What is?" her sister asked.
"This place! It's perfect for the wedding!"
Kane and Sarah were already waiting as the van backed in. Yugo and Kenji walked out. "Yugo, this is Kane Darkholm and Sarah Harding."
"It's nice to meet you both," Yugo said looking up at Kane. "No wonder he beat you, he's bigger than Gado!" he whispered to Kenji. "You must have hit the big time to have an estate this big."
My father was the founder of RavenTech Incorporated." Kane replied.
"Oh yeah," Yugo replied, "Kenji told me that you made him a CEO."
Kane walked over to the van. "Yeah, business management was never my strong point, and since Kenji had prior experience, I thought he'd be perfect."
The day wore on, and finally everything was moved into the house. Uriko, Mitsuko, Sarah, and Alice spent the early evening hours and into the night arranging everything into its proper place, while Yugo, Kenji, and Kane sat out on the lawn. Yugo and Kane downed a couple of beers, which Kenji declined.
"I owe you," Yugo told Kenji, "I've been trying to get Kenji to marry that girl for months now, and it took me nine weeks just to get him to ask her on a date the first time!" Kenji started to turn red.
"Well," Kane replied, "you're not seven feet tall."
"True," Yugo said as Uriko, Alice, and Mitsuko walked out of the house.
"I think it's about time we headed home." Mitsuko said.
"Alright," Yugo picked himself up. "Later, kiddo. Kane," he said shaking the seven footers hand, then lowering his voice, "remember, bachelor party, week before the wedding, Russo's Men's Club"
"Got it." He replied as Yugo walked away. Uriko and Kenji followed. Kane walked back to join Sarah, then caught up to the others. Everybody said his or her goodbyes and congratulations, and the van pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Kane, Sarah, Kenji and Uriko all stood there for a moment, as if trying to rationalize all that had happened. The silence was broken when Sarah yawned.
"I'm going to bed. You coming Kaney?" she said coyly.
"Sure thing, babe, I'll be there in a sec." He turned to Kenji and Uriko. He looked straight at Uriko, who was doing her best to suppress a giggle. "Not one word." He said and turned to enter the house. As soon as he was gone, Uriko let out a quiet laugh. After she had let it out, they turned toward the guesthouse, and went in.
"Our own house." Uriko thought as she climbed into bed with Kenji. She turned out the light, and looked over to Kenji. "I think we should celebrate," she teased as she climbed on top of him.
Hours later, Uriko looked at the ceiling, fulfilled with her lovemaking that evening. Kenji was asleep, but Uriko's mind would not rest. Everything was happening so fast, and she had not had time to absorb and take it all in. She tried to close her eyes, but sleep still would not come. Faintly, she heard a guitar playing. Her curiosity took over, and she slipped from Kenji's embraced, and put her robe on.
The cool night air shook the cobwebs from her mind, allowing her jumbled thoughts to trouble her with clarity, but now she could distinctively make out the music. She turned towards its source. As she got closer, she could make out a voice. It was singing a familiar song.
iSo close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters
Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
And nothing else matters
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters Never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know So close no matter how far
couldn't be much more from the heart
forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters Never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
And nothing else matters Never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know So close no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No nothing else matters /i
Uriko clapped, and the figure sitting in the gazebo looked up. It was Kane.
"I didn't know you played guitar," she said.
"When I can't sleep, I come out here and play. It relaxes me. It's what I wanted to do with my life, but my father would have nothing of it. Art and music, that's all I ever needed. Had a summer job a few years back, DJing at parties. People would always ask me why, when my father was so wealthy. It wasn't the money, I'd say, it was the satisfaction of doing it, and the love of music." He replied, in a quiet voice she never heard in him before.
"That's the song that that played the night Kenji proposed to me, isn't it?" she asked.
"Yeah. 'Nothing Else Matters' by Metallica."
"Kane, if it's not too much trouble, could you play that at the wedding?"
"Sure thing. Then you don't have to pay for a DJ."
"Thanks. And one more thing, I want to have the wedding here, at this gazebo. You know, it's what I always pictured ever since I was a little girl."
"Sure. This was were my Father and Mother were married, you know."
"Thanks." Uriko walked away, as Kane started strumming the guitar. All the thoughts she had dissipated, and she was certain of her future. It was as if a fog had been lifted, and she could clearly see her and Kenji, together forever.