"..." spoken
'...' thoughts
Chapter II
FATHER AND SON
"Otousan!"
Kaede, who was leaning on the wall of the school gate, stood straight and waved at the approaching figure with a smile.
A few seconds after and the boy finally reached his side, breathing heavily. Kaede patted the boy's head. "Where have you been, do'aho? I've been looking all over for you!"
They proceeded to walk out of the gate side-by-side.
The boy pouted. "I told you not to call me do'aho, otousan! Why did you give me a name in the first place if you aren't going to call me by it!"
*FLASHBACK*
I told you not to call me do'aho, kitsune! The redhead beside him pouted.
Kaede laughed as he put an arm around his lover. "But you ARE a do-a-"
"I'm warning you."
Kaede laughed again and hugged the boy tighter. "Fine! How would you want me to call you then?"
The redhead stuck his tensai pose and smiled. "Tensai!"
He shook his head. "Nope, do'aho is much better.
-POW!-
"Itee!" Kaede winced, rubbing his head.
"Baka kitsune."
"But... but..."
"Hana then." The redhead finally decided.
"Fine. Hana."
Hanamichi smiled in contentment. "That's better."
*END FLASHBACK*
Kaede laughed. "But you are a do'a-"
The boy glared at him.
He raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay... Hana."
The boy smiled. "That's better."
Kaede looked at his son and smiled. 'He's the second one who ever made me smile and laugh. And I named him after the first one.'
He sighed heavily and continued to himself. 'I wonder what he is doing in Tokyo now... Hanamichi... How have you been these past nine years. Disappearing all of a sudden. I know it's my fault. I hurt you. I left you. But I didn't have any choice.'
*FLASHBACK*
"What if..." He heard the redhead say, "Just what if... we run away?"
Kaede was taken aback by his lover's proposal. Surely, it was the only way they could solve their problem. By running away from it. For a second he almost agreed. But remembering his father's words he braced himself and looked at the other boy with his usual cold expression. "No."
"Why not?!" His lover shouted. "They can't force you to do something you don't want to! Let's run away Kaede, let's run away from this stupid place!"
Kaede held back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. The sight of his suffering lover and the knowledge that he was the one causing it was breaking his heart. But he had to do it. There was no other way.
"No." He managed to say. 'It has to be this way. Sorry Hana...' He turned his back and walked away.
And he felt his heart crack into two.
"Matte!" Hanamichi shouted from behind him.
He didn't know why stopped walking. He felt Hanamichi run towards him and grab his arm. "Why not?" He heard the redhead ask.
'Because I can't!' "I don't love you."
His lover's pained expression literally shattered his heart into pieces but there was nothing he could do about it. Tears were cascading down his beloved's cheeks and sobs escaped his throat. But still, he managed to blurt out, "But you... you... said..."
'I did!' I love you!' "I lied."
Hanamichi looked down the floor, and his tears continued to flow non-stop.
Kaede bit his lip and restrained himself from gathering the boy in his arms. One more second with his beloved and he knew he would definitely change his mind and take back every single lie that he said.
"Sayonara."
He knew he had to walk away before it's too late.
And that's what he did.
He didn't look back at the redhead. He didn't have the courage to. He opened the gym doors and went out.
Outside, he could hear Hanamichi's unrestrained sobs.
Then he ran as fast as he could away from the school. The wind blowing his tears dry.
When he got home, he ran to his room and buried his face in a pillow.
The tears never stopped flowing.
And now he could hear his own unrestrained sobs.
The next day, he heard Hanamichi dropped out of school and went away.
*END FLASHBACK*
"Otousan?"
Kaede snapped out of his trance and looked at the boy. "Yeah?"
"I said, I didn't hear you because I was busy talking to someone..."
"Oh."
"Haruko-sensei said he was a friend of yours."
Kaede raised his eyebrow. "Really? What's his name?"
"Sendoh Akira."
"Eh?"
His son nodded knowingly. "I know... he lied about his name."
Kaede suddenly became worried. "Oi, I told you not to talk to strangers right?!" He reprimanded his son. "It's dangerous!"
"I know. But Haruko-sensei said he was your friend in high school."
"But st-" Kaede stopped in mid-sentence. "In high school?"
The boy nodded. "Hai. And you know what? And he looked awfully familiar..."
Kaede again raised his eyebrows. Who is it that he knew in high school that his son hadn't met yet? Finally deciding he couldn't think of any, he asked his son. "Well, what did he look like?"
"Tall."
Kaede laughed. "Wow, he does look familiar!"
"Otousan!"
"Can't you be a little more descriptive?" Kaede said, exasperatedly. "Sheeeesh! You're becoming more like me every single day!"
The boy fell deep in thought. Then after a few minutes, said. "Well, he has brown eyes."
The fox-eyed father rolled his eyes. "There are lots of shades of brown, ahou. Can't you be a little more specific?"
The boy let the comment pass as he scratched his head. "I can't tell. He was wearing a cap... OH! That's right!" He said, snapping his fingers.
"What?"
"Akira-oniisan has spiky, black hair, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, that guy has red hair."
Kaede felt his heart skip a beat. Red hair. There was only one person he knew in high school that has red hair. But then again he didn't want to get his hopes high. That guy might just have dyed his hair red. It was the fad nowadays.
"Oh! I remember now why he looked familiar!" His son added. He looked at the boy waiting for his next sentence.
Hanamichi was excitedly jumping up and down beside him. "He looks like that red-haired basketball player YOU always watch on TV!"
And the next thing he knew, he was already standing in front of his son's school gate, panting heavily.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Due to insistent public demand, I decided to make this a multi-parter! YEEEEEEYYYYYY!!! Anyway, sorry for the rather short chapter. I promise I'll do better next time. Major OOC Kaede? Well, after 9 years you DO expect him to change right? Well, please keep the reviews coming! I'll be needing all your support for this! JA!
kawaii caeli-chan ^___^.
'...' thoughts
Chapter II
FATHER AND SON
"Otousan!"
Kaede, who was leaning on the wall of the school gate, stood straight and waved at the approaching figure with a smile.
A few seconds after and the boy finally reached his side, breathing heavily. Kaede patted the boy's head. "Where have you been, do'aho? I've been looking all over for you!"
They proceeded to walk out of the gate side-by-side.
The boy pouted. "I told you not to call me do'aho, otousan! Why did you give me a name in the first place if you aren't going to call me by it!"
*FLASHBACK*
I told you not to call me do'aho, kitsune! The redhead beside him pouted.
Kaede laughed as he put an arm around his lover. "But you ARE a do-a-"
"I'm warning you."
Kaede laughed again and hugged the boy tighter. "Fine! How would you want me to call you then?"
The redhead stuck his tensai pose and smiled. "Tensai!"
He shook his head. "Nope, do'aho is much better.
-POW!-
"Itee!" Kaede winced, rubbing his head.
"Baka kitsune."
"But... but..."
"Hana then." The redhead finally decided.
"Fine. Hana."
Hanamichi smiled in contentment. "That's better."
*END FLASHBACK*
Kaede laughed. "But you are a do'a-"
The boy glared at him.
He raised his hands in defeat. "Okay, okay... Hana."
The boy smiled. "That's better."
Kaede looked at his son and smiled. 'He's the second one who ever made me smile and laugh. And I named him after the first one.'
He sighed heavily and continued to himself. 'I wonder what he is doing in Tokyo now... Hanamichi... How have you been these past nine years. Disappearing all of a sudden. I know it's my fault. I hurt you. I left you. But I didn't have any choice.'
*FLASHBACK*
"What if..." He heard the redhead say, "Just what if... we run away?"
Kaede was taken aback by his lover's proposal. Surely, it was the only way they could solve their problem. By running away from it. For a second he almost agreed. But remembering his father's words he braced himself and looked at the other boy with his usual cold expression. "No."
"Why not?!" His lover shouted. "They can't force you to do something you don't want to! Let's run away Kaede, let's run away from this stupid place!"
Kaede held back the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes. The sight of his suffering lover and the knowledge that he was the one causing it was breaking his heart. But he had to do it. There was no other way.
"No." He managed to say. 'It has to be this way. Sorry Hana...' He turned his back and walked away.
And he felt his heart crack into two.
"Matte!" Hanamichi shouted from behind him.
He didn't know why stopped walking. He felt Hanamichi run towards him and grab his arm. "Why not?" He heard the redhead ask.
'Because I can't!' "I don't love you."
His lover's pained expression literally shattered his heart into pieces but there was nothing he could do about it. Tears were cascading down his beloved's cheeks and sobs escaped his throat. But still, he managed to blurt out, "But you... you... said..."
'I did!' I love you!' "I lied."
Hanamichi looked down the floor, and his tears continued to flow non-stop.
Kaede bit his lip and restrained himself from gathering the boy in his arms. One more second with his beloved and he knew he would definitely change his mind and take back every single lie that he said.
"Sayonara."
He knew he had to walk away before it's too late.
And that's what he did.
He didn't look back at the redhead. He didn't have the courage to. He opened the gym doors and went out.
Outside, he could hear Hanamichi's unrestrained sobs.
Then he ran as fast as he could away from the school. The wind blowing his tears dry.
When he got home, he ran to his room and buried his face in a pillow.
The tears never stopped flowing.
And now he could hear his own unrestrained sobs.
The next day, he heard Hanamichi dropped out of school and went away.
*END FLASHBACK*
"Otousan?"
Kaede snapped out of his trance and looked at the boy. "Yeah?"
"I said, I didn't hear you because I was busy talking to someone..."
"Oh."
"Haruko-sensei said he was a friend of yours."
Kaede raised his eyebrow. "Really? What's his name?"
"Sendoh Akira."
"Eh?"
His son nodded knowingly. "I know... he lied about his name."
Kaede suddenly became worried. "Oi, I told you not to talk to strangers right?!" He reprimanded his son. "It's dangerous!"
"I know. But Haruko-sensei said he was your friend in high school."
"But st-" Kaede stopped in mid-sentence. "In high school?"
The boy nodded. "Hai. And you know what? And he looked awfully familiar..."
Kaede again raised his eyebrows. Who is it that he knew in high school that his son hadn't met yet? Finally deciding he couldn't think of any, he asked his son. "Well, what did he look like?"
"Tall."
Kaede laughed. "Wow, he does look familiar!"
"Otousan!"
"Can't you be a little more descriptive?" Kaede said, exasperatedly. "Sheeeesh! You're becoming more like me every single day!"
The boy fell deep in thought. Then after a few minutes, said. "Well, he has brown eyes."
The fox-eyed father rolled his eyes. "There are lots of shades of brown, ahou. Can't you be a little more specific?"
The boy let the comment pass as he scratched his head. "I can't tell. He was wearing a cap... OH! That's right!" He said, snapping his fingers.
"What?"
"Akira-oniisan has spiky, black hair, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Well, that guy has red hair."
Kaede felt his heart skip a beat. Red hair. There was only one person he knew in high school that has red hair. But then again he didn't want to get his hopes high. That guy might just have dyed his hair red. It was the fad nowadays.
"Oh! I remember now why he looked familiar!" His son added. He looked at the boy waiting for his next sentence.
Hanamichi was excitedly jumping up and down beside him. "He looks like that red-haired basketball player YOU always watch on TV!"
And the next thing he knew, he was already standing in front of his son's school gate, panting heavily.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Due to insistent public demand, I decided to make this a multi-parter! YEEEEEEYYYYYY!!! Anyway, sorry for the rather short chapter. I promise I'll do better next time. Major OOC Kaede? Well, after 9 years you DO expect him to change right? Well, please keep the reviews coming! I'll be needing all your support for this! JA!
kawaii caeli-chan ^___^.