Title: Kaede Jr.
by: Aki Midori ^_^
Mail me at: autumn-wind04@yahoo.com
Warnings: You know...
Genre: You know already
Rating: G - PG
A/N:
*Aki-chan resurrects from the grave*
Well, whoopdedoo!!! Chapter six! Finally! After dodging different kinds of deadly weapons (and failing), here goes chapter six! And I've got a new summary for it, too! Well, I know this sounds pretty boring and routinal, but I really wanna thank the people who reviewed and anticipated my fic... Thank you! I mean it!
Wanna say a special hi to all those anonymous reviewers whom I can't personally mail...
Dinara, Natalie and Fiery Frost. I could have said something to you other than thanks, if I only have a way to contact you. But still, a biiiiiiiig hug and a biiiiiiiiiiiiig kiss for you!
And I wanna give a special kick in the arse to miku. You brat. Update 'Title' soon, will ya? Do it before finals... quick! *hands miku her magical writing stuff*
Okay. Enough. On with the ficcie.
Gotta warn you folks, though, no humor in this chappie... And Kaede would be a lil bit OOC... (who wouldn't be, when you found out that- oops... blah blah blah)
Enjoy!
PS... By request of Valencia, I'm gonna be putting whose POV each chapter's gonna be... I know I should have done that a long time ago... Gomen... No excuse for my former laziness...
DisCLaiMerS: Not mine... not mine... not mine...
-------------------------------
Kaede Jr.
Chapter Six: I'm Not Gonna Let It Happen
(Sendoh's POV)
"Don't you think they've been there long enough?" Keiko-san asked as she placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of me. "It's late. They didn't even put mosquito-repellants and-"
"They're alright, koi," Kyuichi-san said as he placed an arm around Keiko-san. "They're probably talking things out. You know... bonding and stuff like that."
Keiko-san snuggled deeper into Kyuichi-san's embrace. I smiled at the perfect picture that they made. Here in front of me is a couple who've been married for who knows how long, and were still going strong. Love shines from their eyes, and I've noticed that whenever they look at each other, a promise was always exchanged between them...
That they'll be together for as long as eternity.
They're a very simple couple, despite all their wealth. They own one of the largest companies in the country, one of the largest houses in Osaka, an estate in the US, and who knows what else. But here they are, wearing worn-out sweatshirts and teddy and bunny slippers, snuggling in the sofa of their eldest child. Most of the rich couples were stuck-up people, but the two of them were far from it. Most of the rich couples were too busy with their businesses to deal with each other. But these two... these two are so in love.
It was like they draw strength from each other. It was as if one of them could not be complete without the other. They were partners. In life and in love. And maybe, even in death.
They're just like my okaasan and otousan. Whenever I see couples like them, I get this warm feeling inside me. I always wondered how having someone to love you forever feels like. It must have felt really good. No... scratch that. 'Good' is an understatement. 'Heaven' is more like it. Everynight, before I go to sleep, I always wished to every star I could wish on that someday, I'll have my own partner in life. I'll have someone to love, and someone who'll love me in return.
Everynight, before I go to sleep, I dream about my future. I'll have a simple life. Stable job, perfect home, loving partner, a kid or two. I dream about me and Kaede spending the rest of our lives together.
How I wish that Kaede and I could be like that.
"Ne, Sendoh-san, why are you looking at us like that?" Kyuichi-san asked. He was smiling again, as usual, but I could see a glint in his eyes. He's always smiling. Who wouldn't, when you have someone like his wife?
"If you don't mind my asking, Kyuichi-san, how long have you and Keiko-san been together?" I asked.
"Oh, we've known each other since we were three," Kyuichi-san replied. "We're neighbors, you see, and you can say that we weren't really on good terms. But when we were in high school, we suddenly fell in love, and we married early."
"You're a bad story-teller," Keiko-san reprimanded. She looked at me and gave me a warm smile that made me think of my own okaasan. "We married back when we were nineteen. Too young, you may say, but when you're in love, age doesn't seem to matter. After all, we knew that we would be living our lives together. Time and age wouldn't seem to matter to you if you're certain where your relationship go. And we knew that ours would go on forever."
I listened to her every word, engraving each and every one of it in my mind.
/Age doesn't seem to matter./
/We knew that we would be living our lives together./
/Time and age wouldn't seem to matter to you if you're certain where your relationship would go./
/We knew that ours would go on forever./
What about us, Kaede? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from one single, stolen kiss? Would we be like your parents, or would we drift apart in the years to come?
We haven't even voiced out our true feelings yet.
But then again... there are some things that we could understand, even without words. After all, what are words? They don't seem to matter to Kaede.
"And you were blessed with two perfect sons," I pointed out. "Life has been good to you. You're very lucky." They gave each other a sad, sad smile before turning back to me.
"Yes, we were blessed with two perfect sons," Kyuichi-san said with a bright smile that contrasted the one he gave his wife earlier.
Ne... what's wrong? Are they worried about Kaede and Kae-chan's relationship?
"Is there-"
"You know, Sendoh-kun-"
Keiko-san and I started at the same time. I was about to ask if there were any problems about the two Kaede's but she started to speak right away.
"You know, Sendoh-kun, you could have all these," she said with a warm smile. "You're a good person. You have the looks, you have the personality, you have the talent, and I'm pretty sure you've got the brains as well."
"Geez, thanks," I said. Am I blushing? I hope not...
"You like our Kaede, don't you?" Keiko-san suddenly asked.
I was so shocked, that all I could do is to reply with a stupid question. "Which one?"
And they both laughed at me.
"The older one," Kyuichi-san said.
"You don't mind?" I asked. They smiled at me again, held hands, and then Keiko-san said,
"You can't tell your heart who to love. Once it started beating for another person, you can't stop it. When it speaks, you've got to follow it and listen to what it says."
"That should mean... 'No, we don't mind'," Kyuichi-san supplied in a joking manner. "And besides, I've seen the way he looks at you throughout dinner."
"Anou..." I'm still speechless. I wonder what I could say to these two people that would make them understand how happy, how relieved, and how thankful I am for their support. I guess life is good, despite all the troubles we all have.
For once in my life, I really don't know what to say. But I knew they understood the moment I bowed to them and gave them my most sincere smile.
Our moment of peace and understanding was destroyed when Kaede barged inside the room, carrying a sleeping Kae-chan in his arms. His parents stood up to hug them both, but Kaede didn't even give them a single glance as he went straight up to the rooms to settle Kae-chan into a warm bed. His face was devoid of any emotion and his eyes were colder than Antarctica itself.
Keiko-san and Kyuichi-san just held each other, frowns marring their youthful faces. Kaede went back into the room, calmly sat on the sofa and stared daggers at his parents. His face was so clam and stoic, but I could tell that he was mad about something by the way he clenched his fist. What could be wrong? What could *go* wrong? Kae-chan's already safe, ne?
"Kaede, darling, what's wrong?" Keiko-san asked as she sat beside Kaede and held his hand.
"I don't know, Okaasan," Kaede snapped. "You tell me."
"Don't use that tone on you mother, young man," Kyuichi-san scolded, the perpetual grin on his face now gone.
"It seems as if you're not telling me something," Kaede shot back.
Keiko and Kyuichi stiffened.
Kaede stared hard at them.
I looked at the three and decided to leave them alone. This is a family matter. I started to stand up, but the three of them snapped at me.
"Stay."
I sat back down.
"Tell me the truth," Kaede started, his voice edged with steel. "Is Kaede my real brother or not?"
Chills ran down my spine when I heard that. What is going on in here? Where is the happy family that I was dining with earlier? Why are they all so grim? Keiko-san and Kyuichi-san exchanged glances before Keiko-san took a deep breath. She tightened her hold on Kaede's hand.
"He's adopted, honey," she said in a soft, soft voice. I saw a flash of pain in Kaede's eyes. Keiko's eyes were filling with tears, and Kyuichi seemed so different without his friendly grin. It broke my heart to see them like this.
But still, I feel as if I'm invading a private family issue.
"I think this is a family matter-"
"Stay, Sendoh," Kaede snapped once again. He gave his mom a chilly, yet pained stare as he asked once again, "Is he my real brother, or not?"
"Son, your mother just told you no," Kyuichi-san said, sitting near Kaede and Keiko-san. In a span of a few moments, he suddenly looked old and weary. I suddenly noticed the dark lines under his eyes. A frown doesn't suit him.
"You're lying," Kaede whispered as he shook his head. "You're lying, both of you."
"Honey, it's tr-"
"You're lying!" Kaede shouted as he stood up and glared at both of his parents. "Tell me that you're playing another stupid joke on me." He turned to the door which led to the stairs. "Oi! You little imp! Acting's over. Get down here and tell me that everything you said at the sandbox is all a big joke!"
He waited and waited and waited and we all held our breaths, but no Kaede Jr. came down the stairs to cheer us up and say that this is all a silly joke.
"Kaede, get down here!" Kaede shouted over and over again. He started for the stairs but Keiko-san hugged him from behind, tears now falling from her eyes. "This is a joke, isn't it, Okaachan? Tell me that the little imp is my brother. Why, look at him! He's my spitting image! Kaede Jr, get your arse off that bed and c'mere!"
"Kaede, please," Keiko-san pleaded. Kaede kept on struggling out of her grasp. Kyuichi-san stood by, and tears were also threatening to fall from his eyes. Kaede was hysterical. I've never seen him like this before. The calm, cool Ice Prince of Shohoku was breaking down right in front of my eyes, uttering non-sensical phrases. He kept on ordering and ordering Kaede to come back down and tell them all that he heard no such ridiculous thing. He kept on saying and saying that it was not true, that his parents were liars, that it was just a *post-april-fool's-joke*.
It was breaking my heart.
"It's not fair! He shouldn't have heard those things! He's just a child, dammit!" Kaede shouted.
"Honey, stop it, you're breaking our heart," Keiko-san pleaded again.
"You didn't see the way he looked when he told me that he doesn't want to go back home," Kaede seethed. "He looked so scared and so alone and so confused, and I don't know what to do to make him feel better."
"Kaede," I whispered, reaching out my hand to steady him. "Kaede, listen to what your parents have to say."
"They said it was a joke, Sendoh Akira," Kaede said, still struggling out of his mother's firm hold. "That little kid is my brother. I know I've been cruel to him and I've been rude and I've been a jerk, but you see, we patched things up already! Everything's going to be fine, ne?"
Keiko-san was crying out loud now, not knowing how to deal with this side of Kaede. I don't know what to do, either. He's always been so strong. So calm. So composed. And now this...
It's all because he loved the little demon so much.
"Okaachan, let me go," he said as he gave one hard shove. His mother still held on. "I'm going to talk to Kaede Jr."
"Kaede, please calm down," I said. He ignored me. He kept on struggling. His eyes were so dull now, devoid of life. There was just pure pain.
Kyuichi-san have been standing on the same place all along, silently watching the commotion, silently dealing with his own pain. But now he had a stern look as he walked over to us, stood in front of the struggling Kaede and gave him a hard slap across the face.
Kaede stopped moving. He was staring hard at a void in space, and finally he fell to the floor, taking his mother with him. Keiko-san wrapped her arms around him and rocked him like a baby. Kaede just sat there, motionless, and his deep blue eyes suddenly lost its life.
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. If only I could take away that pain...
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a strangled whisper. "Do you think I would be such an idiot, that I wouldn't understand it?"
"Kaede, we-"
"Why did you have to lie to me? Why did you have to lie to us both?" Kaede asked, stopping whatever Keiko-san was about to say. "Kae-chan was so hurt, dammit. He didn't know what 'adopted' meant, but he thinks it must have been a bad thing because it made okaasan cry."
"Kaede, stop being a baby," Kyuichi-san said sternly. Keiko-san gave him a dirty look. I was pretty surprised myself. Keiko-san was about to give him a piece of her mind when Kyuichi-san spoke again. "Be a man and listen to what we have to say. I'm sorry I have to hit you, and I'm sorry I have to say these things to you, but someone's gotta pull you out of that stupor. Get a hold of yourself, Kaede!"
A marble statue would have relayed more emotions than Kaede as he stood up from his mother's embrace and sat back down at the sofa. I sat next to him and took his hand, offering him what little I could give. If not for the hard grip which he had on my hand, I would have thought that he felt non-chalant about it all, judging by his looks. But I doubt that he knew that he was holding onto my hand.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kaede asked again. "I was nine years old by the time you introduced Kaede Jr. to me. You said you had him while you were in the States. I was nine years old. Old enough to understand that the baby you brought was-"
He couldn't continue anymore, but he still did.
"You should have told me. Maybe if I had known the truth, then I could have done something to lessen Kae-chan's pain," he said. "I could have known what to say. If you had told me the truth, then I wouldn't be a bumbling idiot who doesn't know what to say to him when he was so worried about things he shouldn't even worry about."
"We were going to tell you, Kaede-"
"Like ten years after, maybe?" Kaede cut in again.
"Kaede, would you shut up and let us talk?" Kyuichi-san shouted. Kaede gave him a blank stare. Kyuichi got something out of his wallet. It was the picture of his family. He showed it to us. There I saw an old, but powerful old man, who, despite his age, still stood proud and erect. Beside him was an old, but regal-looking woman. There were two boys who looked exactly like Kaede. One was in his late-teens, and I recognized him as Kyuichi-san. The other looked as if he was nine or ten years old.
That boy.
Kaa-chan would look exactly that way after two-three years.
"Your uncle. Rukawa Shiiyo," Kyuichi-san simply said. "When you were six, your okaasan and I left you because we need to do some business at the US. We could have brought you with us, but you said you wanted to stay here with your ojiisan. Three years after, when you were nine, we came back with a baby, which we introduced to you as your baby brother.
"You accepted him, and in fact, I would say that you were delighted when you first saw him. We realized for the first time how lonely you should have been. You were happy when Kaede Jr. arrived. You were the perfect big brother to him, and he was the typical little demon-angel. We were really going to tell you and your brother the truth, but we didn't have the heart to do so. You were so perfect together, despite all your differences. We didn't want you to look at each other differently. We wanted you to stay that way. Brothers."
Kyuichi-san let that sink for a while. Kaede was still tensed, but his grip somewhat loosened. Each word was a painful revalation. A shocking truth. It affected me, though this was the first time I've been with all of them. These people are not just Kaede's family. These people... all of them... are my friends. And it pains me so much to witness all of these things, and yet not being able to do a thing to help ease the sorrow.
"Whose child was Kae-chan, then?" Kaede asked. Kyuichi-san cleared his throat before continuing his story.
"Shiiyo has always been the black sheep of the family," Ryuichi-san said. "We took him to U.S. with us, remember? He was sixteen when we left. Three years later, he had a one-night-stand with a Japanese girl named Kireii. That one night was an oops for both of them. Kireii became pregnant. Neither she nor Shiiyo wanted the baby, so they were planning to abort her. Shiiyo disappeared one night, and during the same night, Kireii tried to kill the baby. She took pills, and the baby almost died. Your mother and I were against it, of course.
"We said that if she would bear that child, we would gladly adopt and raise the child as one of our own. After nine months, that same year, a little boy was born. We gave Kireii at least the priviledge to name her son. She waved us away as if she doesn't care. We insisted. She called her Kaede. Because we respected that choice of name, we named the baby Kaede, even though you already have that name. We just added some Junior in it, so people wouldn't get confused."
"We're sorry, darling, if we kept from you for so long," Keiko-san said. Kaede remained quiet.
"So that would make Kae-chan... Kaede's cousin, right?" I asked. Kyuichi nodded.
"What about those people that Kae-chan was talking about?" Kaede asked after long moments of silence. "Kae-chan doesn't want to go home because he doesn't want to see them. He doesn't want to meet the people who made Okaasan cry."
"Those people, honey, are Shiiyo and Kireii, along with their respective spouses," Keiko-san replied as calmly as she could. "They suddenly wanted Kae-chan back. They searched for us until they reached Osaka. It was just a coincidence that they both wanted Kae-chan. Shiiyo's wife cannot bear him children, so he wanted Kae-chan. Kireii was just guilty over what she did seven years ago, and now she wanted to make it up to Kae-chan, so she wanted him back. It was also a coincidence that they visited our mansion in Osaka at the same time. They were all fighting for Kaede.
"Your father and I, of course, wouldn't just give Kae-chan up. We fought for him, too. But then Shiiyo shouted that Kae-chan was just an adopted child so we should give him back to the biological parents." Keiko-san's last words were choked in a sob. "I didn't know that Kae-chan was listening, though. He must have been really confused and scared."
Kaede remained quiet.
"You have legal papers, don't you?" I asked. Kyuichi-san nodded.
"That's why we left Kaede Jr. here," he said, "to take Kae-chan away from that mess. We also went to our lawyer to make sure that the papers would hold."
"What did the lawyers say?" I asked.
"The papers would hold. Kae-chan is ours," Kyuichi-san said with firmness. He turned to Kaede and his eyes softened. "Son we're-"
"It's alright," Kaede interrupted. "What matters is that they won't take Kaede away from us."
We suddenly heard a big sob and a wail and next thing we knew, Kae-chan had flung himself towards Kaede. Days ago, Kaede would have pushed him away and call him a little maggot. But now, Kaede bent down to hold his little brother so tight, as if intending to protect him from life's cruelty.
"Did you hear what Okaasan and Otousan told me and Akira-niichan, Kae-chan?" Kaede asked. Kae-chan merely nodded and buried himself deeper into his oniisan's embrace. Their parents were crying now, pain and sorrow written on their faces.
"Would those bad people come and take me away?" Kae-chan asked. I knelt down, looked into his aggravated little eyes and told him,
"No, they won't take you away. You've got your Okaachan and Otouchan and Oniichan and they all love you will never ever let you go."
"Will you protect me, too, Akira-niichan?" he asked. I smiled and tweaked his nose.
"Of course, you little twerp. Of course."
Kaede Jr. gave us all a warm, trusting smile and he hugged his older brother even tighter.
Why is it that his trusting smile broke my heart even more?"
*****************
"Oi, Kaede, you haven't talked all night," I said softly as we sat side by side on the grass. Earlier, Kaede couldn't take everything anymore, so he slowly disentangled himself from Kae-chan's tight embrace and walked out of the house. Naturally, I followed him, and here we are now, under the light of the dead stars and the waning moon.
Kaede not once looked at me throughout the whole time.
"Kae-chan is your brother, no matter what, Rukawa Kaede," I told him. A breeze blew past us, making Kaede shiver a bit. I pulled him closer to me, and he didn't protest or pull away, so we sat like that for a long time.
"It's unfair," he suddenly said. "Kae-chan doesn't deserve all this. He's just a kid. A kid should be playing tricks on people, or terrorizing the neighborhood, or run barefoot on the park and eat worms. He should be carefree right now, not burdened with the thought that he wasn't really his otouchan and okaachan's son."
"Yeah, I know," I said. "But nothing bad will happen anymore, Kaede. They can't take Kae-chan away from us. They willingly gave Kae-chan to your parents, complete with their signatures on pieces of paper or whatever. So stop sulking, my little kitsune."
He gave me a wierd look when I called him that, and I can't resist kissing the top of his head.
"I love you," I suddenly blurted out. Kaede stiffened. Baka Akira! You really couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Give him some time, dammit! But what the heck... I feel better now that I've finally said it to him.
"Sen- A... Akira, I-"
"Hush now, Kaede," I whispered. "I'm not in a hurry. Let's take this one step at a time." He relaxed in my arms when I said that.
We stayed like that for a long time. Just revelling in each other's presence and warmth, looking at the stars and the moon.
"Ne, Kaede, it's late," I said (and almost regretted it). "Let's get you home."
I stood up first and pulled him up. We were holding hands as we walked home.
"Kaede, what would you do if suddenly, they take Kae-chan away?" I asked. "It's just a 'what if', though. I just wanna know what you would do if they-"
"I'm not gonna let that happen."
He said it with such firmness, that I dared not raise the question again. All I did was to pass an arm around him as we quietly walked towards his home.
*************************
It's been two days already since we found out the truth about Kae-chan, but we went on through life as if nothing's really changed. Kaede and Kae-chan went back to their bickering, much to everyone's amusement. Kaede brings the little tike to practice with him everyday (at their father's insistence), so Kaede pretty much had his hands full with basketball, Kae-chan, and the mess he did.
The name-calling, of course, was still there, and Kaede was still looking for more original names. Keiko-san was still strict about mosquito-repellants, sunblock, and extra towels, and Kyuichi-san was still the same great chef with the pink apron.
Yep... everything's alright.
*Ding Dong!*
Now who could that be? I won't be meeting Kaede until three o'clock today...
*Ding Dong!*
"Geez, I'm coming!" I shouted in annoyance. I was contemplating the blessings of life here, you moron! I opened the door with force and it swung with a loud 'swoosh'. Hn. That'll show whoever- "Kaede?"
My heart almost leapt with joy (he came by to pick me up for today's one-on-one!), if not for the grave look that hovers on Kaede's face. He looked really weary, as if he fought in a battle and lost. His eyes were two pools of emptiness... and pain.
"Kaede, what happened?" I asked as pulled him inside of my house. He didn't budge an inch.
"Kaede Jr... they took him away."
**********
tsu.zu.ku
**********
Okay, that's it for chapter six!
Cliffhanger again!
I think I might have lost my momentum. Tell me what *you* think!
Review, please!
ja,
Aki-chan
P.S.
I just bought myself a new modem! Whooopee! A modem for my laptop! Whoopee!
by: Aki Midori ^_^
Mail me at: autumn-wind04@yahoo.com
Warnings: You know...
Genre: You know already
Rating: G - PG
A/N:
*Aki-chan resurrects from the grave*
Well, whoopdedoo!!! Chapter six! Finally! After dodging different kinds of deadly weapons (and failing), here goes chapter six! And I've got a new summary for it, too! Well, I know this sounds pretty boring and routinal, but I really wanna thank the people who reviewed and anticipated my fic... Thank you! I mean it!
Wanna say a special hi to all those anonymous reviewers whom I can't personally mail...
Dinara, Natalie and Fiery Frost. I could have said something to you other than thanks, if I only have a way to contact you. But still, a biiiiiiiig hug and a biiiiiiiiiiiiig kiss for you!
And I wanna give a special kick in the arse to miku. You brat. Update 'Title' soon, will ya? Do it before finals... quick! *hands miku her magical writing stuff*
Okay. Enough. On with the ficcie.
Gotta warn you folks, though, no humor in this chappie... And Kaede would be a lil bit OOC... (who wouldn't be, when you found out that- oops... blah blah blah)
Enjoy!
PS... By request of Valencia, I'm gonna be putting whose POV each chapter's gonna be... I know I should have done that a long time ago... Gomen... No excuse for my former laziness...
DisCLaiMerS: Not mine... not mine... not mine...
-------------------------------
Kaede Jr.
Chapter Six: I'm Not Gonna Let It Happen
(Sendoh's POV)
"Don't you think they've been there long enough?" Keiko-san asked as she placed a mug of hot chocolate in front of me. "It's late. They didn't even put mosquito-repellants and-"
"They're alright, koi," Kyuichi-san said as he placed an arm around Keiko-san. "They're probably talking things out. You know... bonding and stuff like that."
Keiko-san snuggled deeper into Kyuichi-san's embrace. I smiled at the perfect picture that they made. Here in front of me is a couple who've been married for who knows how long, and were still going strong. Love shines from their eyes, and I've noticed that whenever they look at each other, a promise was always exchanged between them...
That they'll be together for as long as eternity.
They're a very simple couple, despite all their wealth. They own one of the largest companies in the country, one of the largest houses in Osaka, an estate in the US, and who knows what else. But here they are, wearing worn-out sweatshirts and teddy and bunny slippers, snuggling in the sofa of their eldest child. Most of the rich couples were stuck-up people, but the two of them were far from it. Most of the rich couples were too busy with their businesses to deal with each other. But these two... these two are so in love.
It was like they draw strength from each other. It was as if one of them could not be complete without the other. They were partners. In life and in love. And maybe, even in death.
They're just like my okaasan and otousan. Whenever I see couples like them, I get this warm feeling inside me. I always wondered how having someone to love you forever feels like. It must have felt really good. No... scratch that. 'Good' is an understatement. 'Heaven' is more like it. Everynight, before I go to sleep, I always wished to every star I could wish on that someday, I'll have my own partner in life. I'll have someone to love, and someone who'll love me in return.
Everynight, before I go to sleep, I dream about my future. I'll have a simple life. Stable job, perfect home, loving partner, a kid or two. I dream about me and Kaede spending the rest of our lives together.
How I wish that Kaede and I could be like that.
"Ne, Sendoh-san, why are you looking at us like that?" Kyuichi-san asked. He was smiling again, as usual, but I could see a glint in his eyes. He's always smiling. Who wouldn't, when you have someone like his wife?
"If you don't mind my asking, Kyuichi-san, how long have you and Keiko-san been together?" I asked.
"Oh, we've known each other since we were three," Kyuichi-san replied. "We're neighbors, you see, and you can say that we weren't really on good terms. But when we were in high school, we suddenly fell in love, and we married early."
"You're a bad story-teller," Keiko-san reprimanded. She looked at me and gave me a warm smile that made me think of my own okaasan. "We married back when we were nineteen. Too young, you may say, but when you're in love, age doesn't seem to matter. After all, we knew that we would be living our lives together. Time and age wouldn't seem to matter to you if you're certain where your relationship go. And we knew that ours would go on forever."
I listened to her every word, engraving each and every one of it in my mind.
/Age doesn't seem to matter./
/We knew that we would be living our lives together./
/Time and age wouldn't seem to matter to you if you're certain where your relationship would go./
/We knew that ours would go on forever./
What about us, Kaede? Where do we go from here? Where do we go from one single, stolen kiss? Would we be like your parents, or would we drift apart in the years to come?
We haven't even voiced out our true feelings yet.
But then again... there are some things that we could understand, even without words. After all, what are words? They don't seem to matter to Kaede.
"And you were blessed with two perfect sons," I pointed out. "Life has been good to you. You're very lucky." They gave each other a sad, sad smile before turning back to me.
"Yes, we were blessed with two perfect sons," Kyuichi-san said with a bright smile that contrasted the one he gave his wife earlier.
Ne... what's wrong? Are they worried about Kaede and Kae-chan's relationship?
"Is there-"
"You know, Sendoh-kun-"
Keiko-san and I started at the same time. I was about to ask if there were any problems about the two Kaede's but she started to speak right away.
"You know, Sendoh-kun, you could have all these," she said with a warm smile. "You're a good person. You have the looks, you have the personality, you have the talent, and I'm pretty sure you've got the brains as well."
"Geez, thanks," I said. Am I blushing? I hope not...
"You like our Kaede, don't you?" Keiko-san suddenly asked.
I was so shocked, that all I could do is to reply with a stupid question. "Which one?"
And they both laughed at me.
"The older one," Kyuichi-san said.
"You don't mind?" I asked. They smiled at me again, held hands, and then Keiko-san said,
"You can't tell your heart who to love. Once it started beating for another person, you can't stop it. When it speaks, you've got to follow it and listen to what it says."
"That should mean... 'No, we don't mind'," Kyuichi-san supplied in a joking manner. "And besides, I've seen the way he looks at you throughout dinner."
"Anou..." I'm still speechless. I wonder what I could say to these two people that would make them understand how happy, how relieved, and how thankful I am for their support. I guess life is good, despite all the troubles we all have.
For once in my life, I really don't know what to say. But I knew they understood the moment I bowed to them and gave them my most sincere smile.
Our moment of peace and understanding was destroyed when Kaede barged inside the room, carrying a sleeping Kae-chan in his arms. His parents stood up to hug them both, but Kaede didn't even give them a single glance as he went straight up to the rooms to settle Kae-chan into a warm bed. His face was devoid of any emotion and his eyes were colder than Antarctica itself.
Keiko-san and Kyuichi-san just held each other, frowns marring their youthful faces. Kaede went back into the room, calmly sat on the sofa and stared daggers at his parents. His face was so clam and stoic, but I could tell that he was mad about something by the way he clenched his fist. What could be wrong? What could *go* wrong? Kae-chan's already safe, ne?
"Kaede, darling, what's wrong?" Keiko-san asked as she sat beside Kaede and held his hand.
"I don't know, Okaasan," Kaede snapped. "You tell me."
"Don't use that tone on you mother, young man," Kyuichi-san scolded, the perpetual grin on his face now gone.
"It seems as if you're not telling me something," Kaede shot back.
Keiko and Kyuichi stiffened.
Kaede stared hard at them.
I looked at the three and decided to leave them alone. This is a family matter. I started to stand up, but the three of them snapped at me.
"Stay."
I sat back down.
"Tell me the truth," Kaede started, his voice edged with steel. "Is Kaede my real brother or not?"
Chills ran down my spine when I heard that. What is going on in here? Where is the happy family that I was dining with earlier? Why are they all so grim? Keiko-san and Kyuichi-san exchanged glances before Keiko-san took a deep breath. She tightened her hold on Kaede's hand.
"He's adopted, honey," she said in a soft, soft voice. I saw a flash of pain in Kaede's eyes. Keiko's eyes were filling with tears, and Kyuichi seemed so different without his friendly grin. It broke my heart to see them like this.
But still, I feel as if I'm invading a private family issue.
"I think this is a family matter-"
"Stay, Sendoh," Kaede snapped once again. He gave his mom a chilly, yet pained stare as he asked once again, "Is he my real brother, or not?"
"Son, your mother just told you no," Kyuichi-san said, sitting near Kaede and Keiko-san. In a span of a few moments, he suddenly looked old and weary. I suddenly noticed the dark lines under his eyes. A frown doesn't suit him.
"You're lying," Kaede whispered as he shook his head. "You're lying, both of you."
"Honey, it's tr-"
"You're lying!" Kaede shouted as he stood up and glared at both of his parents. "Tell me that you're playing another stupid joke on me." He turned to the door which led to the stairs. "Oi! You little imp! Acting's over. Get down here and tell me that everything you said at the sandbox is all a big joke!"
He waited and waited and waited and we all held our breaths, but no Kaede Jr. came down the stairs to cheer us up and say that this is all a silly joke.
"Kaede, get down here!" Kaede shouted over and over again. He started for the stairs but Keiko-san hugged him from behind, tears now falling from her eyes. "This is a joke, isn't it, Okaachan? Tell me that the little imp is my brother. Why, look at him! He's my spitting image! Kaede Jr, get your arse off that bed and c'mere!"
"Kaede, please," Keiko-san pleaded. Kaede kept on struggling out of her grasp. Kyuichi-san stood by, and tears were also threatening to fall from his eyes. Kaede was hysterical. I've never seen him like this before. The calm, cool Ice Prince of Shohoku was breaking down right in front of my eyes, uttering non-sensical phrases. He kept on ordering and ordering Kaede to come back down and tell them all that he heard no such ridiculous thing. He kept on saying and saying that it was not true, that his parents were liars, that it was just a *post-april-fool's-joke*.
It was breaking my heart.
"It's not fair! He shouldn't have heard those things! He's just a child, dammit!" Kaede shouted.
"Honey, stop it, you're breaking our heart," Keiko-san pleaded again.
"You didn't see the way he looked when he told me that he doesn't want to go back home," Kaede seethed. "He looked so scared and so alone and so confused, and I don't know what to do to make him feel better."
"Kaede," I whispered, reaching out my hand to steady him. "Kaede, listen to what your parents have to say."
"They said it was a joke, Sendoh Akira," Kaede said, still struggling out of his mother's firm hold. "That little kid is my brother. I know I've been cruel to him and I've been rude and I've been a jerk, but you see, we patched things up already! Everything's going to be fine, ne?"
Keiko-san was crying out loud now, not knowing how to deal with this side of Kaede. I don't know what to do, either. He's always been so strong. So calm. So composed. And now this...
It's all because he loved the little demon so much.
"Okaachan, let me go," he said as he gave one hard shove. His mother still held on. "I'm going to talk to Kaede Jr."
"Kaede, please calm down," I said. He ignored me. He kept on struggling. His eyes were so dull now, devoid of life. There was just pure pain.
Kyuichi-san have been standing on the same place all along, silently watching the commotion, silently dealing with his own pain. But now he had a stern look as he walked over to us, stood in front of the struggling Kaede and gave him a hard slap across the face.
Kaede stopped moving. He was staring hard at a void in space, and finally he fell to the floor, taking his mother with him. Keiko-san wrapped her arms around him and rocked him like a baby. Kaede just sat there, motionless, and his deep blue eyes suddenly lost its life.
Tears gathered in the corners of my eyes. If only I could take away that pain...
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in a strangled whisper. "Do you think I would be such an idiot, that I wouldn't understand it?"
"Kaede, we-"
"Why did you have to lie to me? Why did you have to lie to us both?" Kaede asked, stopping whatever Keiko-san was about to say. "Kae-chan was so hurt, dammit. He didn't know what 'adopted' meant, but he thinks it must have been a bad thing because it made okaasan cry."
"Kaede, stop being a baby," Kyuichi-san said sternly. Keiko-san gave him a dirty look. I was pretty surprised myself. Keiko-san was about to give him a piece of her mind when Kyuichi-san spoke again. "Be a man and listen to what we have to say. I'm sorry I have to hit you, and I'm sorry I have to say these things to you, but someone's gotta pull you out of that stupor. Get a hold of yourself, Kaede!"
A marble statue would have relayed more emotions than Kaede as he stood up from his mother's embrace and sat back down at the sofa. I sat next to him and took his hand, offering him what little I could give. If not for the hard grip which he had on my hand, I would have thought that he felt non-chalant about it all, judging by his looks. But I doubt that he knew that he was holding onto my hand.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kaede asked again. "I was nine years old by the time you introduced Kaede Jr. to me. You said you had him while you were in the States. I was nine years old. Old enough to understand that the baby you brought was-"
He couldn't continue anymore, but he still did.
"You should have told me. Maybe if I had known the truth, then I could have done something to lessen Kae-chan's pain," he said. "I could have known what to say. If you had told me the truth, then I wouldn't be a bumbling idiot who doesn't know what to say to him when he was so worried about things he shouldn't even worry about."
"We were going to tell you, Kaede-"
"Like ten years after, maybe?" Kaede cut in again.
"Kaede, would you shut up and let us talk?" Kyuichi-san shouted. Kaede gave him a blank stare. Kyuichi got something out of his wallet. It was the picture of his family. He showed it to us. There I saw an old, but powerful old man, who, despite his age, still stood proud and erect. Beside him was an old, but regal-looking woman. There were two boys who looked exactly like Kaede. One was in his late-teens, and I recognized him as Kyuichi-san. The other looked as if he was nine or ten years old.
That boy.
Kaa-chan would look exactly that way after two-three years.
"Your uncle. Rukawa Shiiyo," Kyuichi-san simply said. "When you were six, your okaasan and I left you because we need to do some business at the US. We could have brought you with us, but you said you wanted to stay here with your ojiisan. Three years after, when you were nine, we came back with a baby, which we introduced to you as your baby brother.
"You accepted him, and in fact, I would say that you were delighted when you first saw him. We realized for the first time how lonely you should have been. You were happy when Kaede Jr. arrived. You were the perfect big brother to him, and he was the typical little demon-angel. We were really going to tell you and your brother the truth, but we didn't have the heart to do so. You were so perfect together, despite all your differences. We didn't want you to look at each other differently. We wanted you to stay that way. Brothers."
Kyuichi-san let that sink for a while. Kaede was still tensed, but his grip somewhat loosened. Each word was a painful revalation. A shocking truth. It affected me, though this was the first time I've been with all of them. These people are not just Kaede's family. These people... all of them... are my friends. And it pains me so much to witness all of these things, and yet not being able to do a thing to help ease the sorrow.
"Whose child was Kae-chan, then?" Kaede asked. Kyuichi-san cleared his throat before continuing his story.
"Shiiyo has always been the black sheep of the family," Ryuichi-san said. "We took him to U.S. with us, remember? He was sixteen when we left. Three years later, he had a one-night-stand with a Japanese girl named Kireii. That one night was an oops for both of them. Kireii became pregnant. Neither she nor Shiiyo wanted the baby, so they were planning to abort her. Shiiyo disappeared one night, and during the same night, Kireii tried to kill the baby. She took pills, and the baby almost died. Your mother and I were against it, of course.
"We said that if she would bear that child, we would gladly adopt and raise the child as one of our own. After nine months, that same year, a little boy was born. We gave Kireii at least the priviledge to name her son. She waved us away as if she doesn't care. We insisted. She called her Kaede. Because we respected that choice of name, we named the baby Kaede, even though you already have that name. We just added some Junior in it, so people wouldn't get confused."
"We're sorry, darling, if we kept from you for so long," Keiko-san said. Kaede remained quiet.
"So that would make Kae-chan... Kaede's cousin, right?" I asked. Kyuichi nodded.
"What about those people that Kae-chan was talking about?" Kaede asked after long moments of silence. "Kae-chan doesn't want to go home because he doesn't want to see them. He doesn't want to meet the people who made Okaasan cry."
"Those people, honey, are Shiiyo and Kireii, along with their respective spouses," Keiko-san replied as calmly as she could. "They suddenly wanted Kae-chan back. They searched for us until they reached Osaka. It was just a coincidence that they both wanted Kae-chan. Shiiyo's wife cannot bear him children, so he wanted Kae-chan. Kireii was just guilty over what she did seven years ago, and now she wanted to make it up to Kae-chan, so she wanted him back. It was also a coincidence that they visited our mansion in Osaka at the same time. They were all fighting for Kaede.
"Your father and I, of course, wouldn't just give Kae-chan up. We fought for him, too. But then Shiiyo shouted that Kae-chan was just an adopted child so we should give him back to the biological parents." Keiko-san's last words were choked in a sob. "I didn't know that Kae-chan was listening, though. He must have been really confused and scared."
Kaede remained quiet.
"You have legal papers, don't you?" I asked. Kyuichi-san nodded.
"That's why we left Kaede Jr. here," he said, "to take Kae-chan away from that mess. We also went to our lawyer to make sure that the papers would hold."
"What did the lawyers say?" I asked.
"The papers would hold. Kae-chan is ours," Kyuichi-san said with firmness. He turned to Kaede and his eyes softened. "Son we're-"
"It's alright," Kaede interrupted. "What matters is that they won't take Kaede away from us."
We suddenly heard a big sob and a wail and next thing we knew, Kae-chan had flung himself towards Kaede. Days ago, Kaede would have pushed him away and call him a little maggot. But now, Kaede bent down to hold his little brother so tight, as if intending to protect him from life's cruelty.
"Did you hear what Okaasan and Otousan told me and Akira-niichan, Kae-chan?" Kaede asked. Kae-chan merely nodded and buried himself deeper into his oniisan's embrace. Their parents were crying now, pain and sorrow written on their faces.
"Would those bad people come and take me away?" Kae-chan asked. I knelt down, looked into his aggravated little eyes and told him,
"No, they won't take you away. You've got your Okaachan and Otouchan and Oniichan and they all love you will never ever let you go."
"Will you protect me, too, Akira-niichan?" he asked. I smiled and tweaked his nose.
"Of course, you little twerp. Of course."
Kaede Jr. gave us all a warm, trusting smile and he hugged his older brother even tighter.
Why is it that his trusting smile broke my heart even more?"
*****************
"Oi, Kaede, you haven't talked all night," I said softly as we sat side by side on the grass. Earlier, Kaede couldn't take everything anymore, so he slowly disentangled himself from Kae-chan's tight embrace and walked out of the house. Naturally, I followed him, and here we are now, under the light of the dead stars and the waning moon.
Kaede not once looked at me throughout the whole time.
"Kae-chan is your brother, no matter what, Rukawa Kaede," I told him. A breeze blew past us, making Kaede shiver a bit. I pulled him closer to me, and he didn't protest or pull away, so we sat like that for a long time.
"It's unfair," he suddenly said. "Kae-chan doesn't deserve all this. He's just a kid. A kid should be playing tricks on people, or terrorizing the neighborhood, or run barefoot on the park and eat worms. He should be carefree right now, not burdened with the thought that he wasn't really his otouchan and okaachan's son."
"Yeah, I know," I said. "But nothing bad will happen anymore, Kaede. They can't take Kae-chan away from us. They willingly gave Kae-chan to your parents, complete with their signatures on pieces of paper or whatever. So stop sulking, my little kitsune."
He gave me a wierd look when I called him that, and I can't resist kissing the top of his head.
"I love you," I suddenly blurted out. Kaede stiffened. Baka Akira! You really couldn't keep your mouth shut, could you? Give him some time, dammit! But what the heck... I feel better now that I've finally said it to him.
"Sen- A... Akira, I-"
"Hush now, Kaede," I whispered. "I'm not in a hurry. Let's take this one step at a time." He relaxed in my arms when I said that.
We stayed like that for a long time. Just revelling in each other's presence and warmth, looking at the stars and the moon.
"Ne, Kaede, it's late," I said (and almost regretted it). "Let's get you home."
I stood up first and pulled him up. We were holding hands as we walked home.
"Kaede, what would you do if suddenly, they take Kae-chan away?" I asked. "It's just a 'what if', though. I just wanna know what you would do if they-"
"I'm not gonna let that happen."
He said it with such firmness, that I dared not raise the question again. All I did was to pass an arm around him as we quietly walked towards his home.
*************************
It's been two days already since we found out the truth about Kae-chan, but we went on through life as if nothing's really changed. Kaede and Kae-chan went back to their bickering, much to everyone's amusement. Kaede brings the little tike to practice with him everyday (at their father's insistence), so Kaede pretty much had his hands full with basketball, Kae-chan, and the mess he did.
The name-calling, of course, was still there, and Kaede was still looking for more original names. Keiko-san was still strict about mosquito-repellants, sunblock, and extra towels, and Kyuichi-san was still the same great chef with the pink apron.
Yep... everything's alright.
*Ding Dong!*
Now who could that be? I won't be meeting Kaede until three o'clock today...
*Ding Dong!*
"Geez, I'm coming!" I shouted in annoyance. I was contemplating the blessings of life here, you moron! I opened the door with force and it swung with a loud 'swoosh'. Hn. That'll show whoever- "Kaede?"
My heart almost leapt with joy (he came by to pick me up for today's one-on-one!), if not for the grave look that hovers on Kaede's face. He looked really weary, as if he fought in a battle and lost. His eyes were two pools of emptiness... and pain.
"Kaede, what happened?" I asked as pulled him inside of my house. He didn't budge an inch.
"Kaede Jr... they took him away."
**********
tsu.zu.ku
**********
Okay, that's it for chapter six!
Cliffhanger again!
I think I might have lost my momentum. Tell me what *you* think!
Review, please!
ja,
Aki-chan
P.S.
I just bought myself a new modem! Whooopee! A modem for my laptop! Whoopee!