EPISODE I: More than Complicated
Notredame High School, Monday
"Hey!" Billy snapped his fingers in front of Hana-chan's face. "Are you all right?"
Hana-chan blinked twice and returned on earth. "Yeah..."
"You seem out of your consciousness." Billy questioned. They were sitted in one of the tables in the Notredame Cafeteria... facing each other.
"I'm..."
"Jet lag?"
"Uh..." Hana-chan stared at his friend for he couldn't explain his present condition. "Yeah."
"So, how's Florence? Wait, wait... Japan first? I've never been to any of those."
Hana-chan wasn't able to answer. His mind went inside his new house, in Kaede Rukawa's permanent residence in Los Angeles. The mahogany towering walls... the shining marbled floors and Egyptain carpets. It was completely a luxurious mansion.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Billy's eyebrows frowned extremely. Hana-chan had been absent in school for a week and now that he's back, he seemed to be imprisoned in the places he'd been to. Or something affected him there.
"Woah,woah,woah... welcome back Hanamichi." Brian approached them with his two other friends; a black American named Sean and a blondie like him named Dwayne.
"How's Japan, little redhead?" Sean tapped Hana-chan's shoulder.
"Why don't you leave us alone?" Billy said.
"Oops!" Dwayne spoke with sarcasm. "I think we're interrupting their private talk. Are you breaking up?"
The three football jockies boisterously laughed that caught other peole's attentions.
"Is he prettier than Cher, huh?" Sean uttered on Hana-chan's ear. "Brian won't approve to that."
Brian toughly pressed his palms down on the table and faced the redheaded boy. "So now you're a homosexual?"
Hana-chan's fury burnt. Quickly like a thunder bolt, he stood from his seat and punched Brian on the nose with all his might.
It angered Brian not only because his nose was hurt and bleeding, but because several people saw how he was challenged by a known-loser Hanamichi Sakuragi.
"Too defensive, boy." Brian intended to let him pay with a jab on the face, but Hana-chan was able to evade his fist and went back for a knuckle-hit on Brian's stomach.
Sean and Dwayne held Hana-chan's arms, then Brian hit the boy on the jaw.
"What is going on here?" Mrs. Mayers suddenly appeared. When she saw Hana-chan touching his own jaw and apparently he was hurt, Mrs. Mayers approached him and placed her arms around his shoulders. "What happened to you?"
"He jabbed me first." Brian defended himself and his two friends spoke in the second in motion.
"And you hit him too?" The principal asked with her thin eyebrows frowning to the maximum.
"Well..."
"Brian, I don't believe he would hit you without you starting it."
"What?"
"You don't know whose kid you are bashing." Silence dominated the entire cafeteria as every person looked at the scene. "He's the son of Kaede Rukawa."
Everyone was stunned, even Hana-chan himself.
He's the son of Kaede Rukawa. It echoed inside Hana-chan's head... hitting the walls of his skull.
Hana-chan's whole body weakened. As murmurs began to bubble around... he felt himself evaporarting little by little.
NO! He took his knapsack and ran away... away from those murmurs... from those people... from anyone.
Rukawa's Mansion, LA
Hana-chan was inside the quiet and serene den of the mansion.
He was lying on the sofa bed... with his mind in a far away land.
He thought when he had found his father, his problems will all be solved, but it even made his life complicated.
Suddenly, he felt fingers running through his long muscular legs. It sent slight tickles to his nervous system that's enough to arouse his testicles. The fingers crossed his hip, then his tight waist... passing inside his shirt and caressed his chest.
He saw dark and deep sapphire blue eyes and he was drowned.
He felt wet and warm lips touching his and he summoned to its comforting feeling. He played his lips with those tempting lips... loving its softness and tranquility.
Their tongues licked, twirled and waltzed with each other.
Simultaneously, in the door, Carla was standing and watching the scene with tears flowing on her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she's seeing.
Hana-chan was already a son to her. For the past fourteen years, she took care of him. She's the one who wiped his tears when he cried, the one who comforted him when he was hurt and the one who was there when he needed light.
Kaede was absolutely too old for him and he should stand as his father.
Anyone who had loved a child wouldn't be happy to see that child in detoured life.
Next Morning
Carla put down the oozing-hot cup of coffee... on the table... right in front of Kaede.
The sportsman was busy reading the newspaper. Carla didn't want to disturb him but that might be her only chance to talk with him.
"Mr. Rukawa." Carla mumbled. Her trembling hands were kept inside her pockets. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I need to talk to you."
Kaede merely looked at her to show that he's listening.
"I saw you... and your son... do-do..." Carla was really quivering. "Doing some-thing... last night."
Kaede's eyebrowas rose up and he stared at the helper's face intently. Carla was terrified from his intensified look.
"I mean... you-you are his father." The helper uttered her words with a maximized speed. "The-child-grew-up-without-a-dad-to-teach-him-how-to-be-a-man. Now-that-you-are-here-I-hope..."
Kaede hovered for next word, but Carla's throat seemed to turn dry.
When Carla had no words to say anymore, the sportsman returned his eyes on the newspaper and mumbled stoically. "Pack your things and leave."
Carla was shocked. She knew Kaede wouldn't change his mind no matter how she pleads. The sportsman must've found her approach as disrespectful, but Carla was certain she did the right thing.
Carla prudently entered Hana-chan's bedroom with her bag on her hand.
The boy was apparently naked and a thick blanket covered him. Kaede must have carried him there.
"Hana..." Carla caressed the boy's semi-bald head lovingly. "Good bye." Tears fell from her eyes as she kissed the boy on the cheek. Then, she left a letter for him on the bedside table.
-to-be-continued-