Long distance
-Flashback-
"Dad, let me help you," said Kaede, referring to the mailbag his father was carrying over his shoulder.
"Have you signed in this month? You're on probation for 2 years, you know," his father asked.
"Yes, I have," Kaede answered.
"You're graduating in 2 years and you had to get into such trouble," his father continued. "How can you find a job in the future?"
"I've talked to my Warden. He'll help me lift the probation order," said Kaede, changing the subject. "He knows people inside."
His father didn't say anything, and continued walking until he reached his destination. He knocked on the door and called out, "Registered letter!"
Then, as he waited for the owner of the house to come out, he said to Kaede, "Shut up in your hostel all day, you don't know that it's tough outside. Take this letter for instance. One stamp short and the letter can't get out of the post office."
Finally, a man came out, and Kaede turned to leave. "Dad, I'll go first."
In the meantime, the man took a look at the letter and said, "You're mistaken. First floor, not ground floor. What a lousy postman."
"Gomen, gomen," the older Rukawa apologised profusely for his mistake.
Kaede, who was already a few houses away, turned around and said to his father, "Dad, I'll continue my studies in France."
"France? What are you doing in France?"
"Japan is hopeless," came Kaede's reply.
"Go to France? You think it's as simple as sending a letter? You have money?"
"I'll figure it out myself. Don't worry," said Kaede.
His father could only watch as his only son walked away from him.
-End of flashback-
---
In the library…
"I never thought my Mum's been a revolutionary," said Kiori, as she looked at the newspaper article displayed on the computer screen.
"And I never thought my Dad's been in prison. And for a far away and remote isle, too," said Kioshi, who was sitting beside her.
Kiori nodded her head. "You know, my grandfather was a soldier. He fought in the Second World War. Kind of a revolutionary too, don't you think?"
"Really? I remember my great-grandmother telling me that my great-grandfather was sort of a revolutionary too. He fought against the Manchu's, he was a Chinese, see. Great-grandma said that his name's on the 72 Martyr's Tomb," said Kioshi.
"Cool!" Kiori exclaimed. "Hmm… I wonder what our generation has ever done."
-Flashback-
"You know, I meant to build a bridge here in Kanagawa. I think that, every big city should have a beautiful bridge," Kaede told Hana, as they sat on top of a grassy hill in the dead of night, watching the colourful city below in all its splendour. "Like in America, you have the Golden Gate Bridge; in Italy, the Bridge of Sighs; in England, there's Cam Bow," he continued.
"Cam Bow? What a nice name for Cambridge. I like it," said Hana. She looked at Kaede. "Where are you going to build this bridge?"
"Don't know yet," Kaede replied. "Got to look down from a plane to see which is the best location."
"Why don't we go and learn to fly a plane together?" asked Hana.
"Good. And I promise you, the first day I've learnt how to fly, we'll fly together that very first day," said Kaede.
"Hontou? So let's go and have lessons tomorrow!" said Hana excitedly.
Rukawa looked at her sadly. "I'm leaving next term."
The smile on Hana's face waned a little. "You really have to go, kitsune?"
Kaede looked at the beautiful face in front of him for a moment longer, before reaching into his bag and took out something. "I've made something for you when I was inside."
Hana took the sculpture. "Your hand?"
Kaede held out his left hand in the exact same pose as the sculpture. "See, identical."
Hana looked at the palm and frowned. "The lines of your palm are so complicated, kitsune."
Kaede kept quiet, leaving Hana to see properly for herself what they really were.
"It's my name…" Hana said softly. She ran a finger along the lines, where her name was painstakingly carved on top of them in small print one after another.
Only then did Kaede speak. "My Lines of Life, Career and Romance are all composed of your name."
Hana smiled to herself and held the hand to her chest. She turned to look at Kaede, who was looking back at her with that same-old expression on his face.
Making up her mind, she grabbed his hand and said, "Come on!"
"Where to?" Kaede asked.
Hana smiled mischievously at him. "Don't you want it very much?"
Kaede looked stunned for a while, before his normally stoic face broke out into a soft smile. "Don't be silly," he said, and lifted a hand to caress Hana's face.
Hana looked at him shyly, as he continued, "Maybe next time."
When we see each other again…
---
A few months later, at the post office's long-distance calls section…
"Kaede, it's me. Me, kitsune. What time is it at your end?" asked Hana, as she sat on the chair with the phone in one hand and the other holding a big stack of books.
"What? You can't hear me? What do you mean you can't hear me? Are you saying that this Tensai's voice is too soft? Can you hear me now?" Hana practically shouted into the receiver. "How are you?"
(A/n: From here on, conversations in brackets are voiceovers, as another scene takes place.)
-France-
(Kaede: I'm doing very well here, you hear me?)
Kaede was working part-time as a delivery boy for a grocery shop, sending groceries from house to house.
(Hana: Is your job tough there?)
(Kaede: The job's fine.)
(Hana: Anybody making soup for you?)
(Kaede: Sure, smoked oysters with octopus and pork bone.)
"Look, milk!" Haruko exclaimed, pointing to the few bottles of milk left outside on the doorstep of a house by the milkman.
(Hana: What bone?)
After making sure that no one was around or watching, Kaede and another male friend grabbed 2 bottles each and together, the whole gang ran off.
(Kaede: Pork bone, do'aho.)
Kaede jogged slightly to the telephone booth on a cold, snowy day.
"Did I wake you up? I told you not to move out of campus. Couldn't find me? Yeah, my boss is a jerk." He put another coin into the phone box. "Every time there's a call for me he says I'm not it. How are you? When are you coming over?"
-Kanagawa-
(Hana: Soon, I've got many jobs in hand.)
Hana was doing a part-time job as an English teacher in an evening school.
(Hana: 2 private tutoring, 2 evening schools. Please wait for me.)
Akira was staring into space when a stack of books was dumped in front of him. He looked up to see Hana running down the corridor.
"Hey, stand in for me tonight at the evening school, please. Thanks, I'm counting on you!" Hana waved at him before disappearing amongst the crowd.
---
At the post office…
Hana handed the paper containing Kaede's name and number to the man behind the counter, before taking out her purse and picking out the exact change needed to make the call.
The man looked at the paper. "Paris, 3 minutes, Rukawa Kaede."
Later…
"Kaede, it's me."
-France-
(Hana: How come you didn't call for so long, kitsune?)
(Kaede: I'm very busy these days, no time even to eat.)
Kaede came back from class to see his housemates already eating hungrily from some canned food.
(Hana: Really? I thought you've had another girl.)
He dumped his books aside and rushed to them, where Haruko handed him a bowl of rice and held up some of the cans so that he could eat from them.
(Kaede: No, you hear? The French girls here are ugly. They don't shower, just spray perfume. Don't be such a do'aho, ok?)
(Hana: But when are you coming back, kitsune? You have taken so long.)
(Kaede: Well, it takes so long to study Architecture. Why don't you come over first?)
-Kanagawa-
Hana looked at the picture of her father on the tombstone, as her mother sobbed quietly beside her.
(Hana: I can't! The way my Dad is, how can I go away? Why can't you understand my situation, kitsune?)
-France-
Kaede gave his full undivided concentration to the textbook in his hand. He was going to sit for an exam the next day, and he wanted to make sure that he passed with flying colours.
(Kaede: You keep saying I don't understand you! Do you understand me then? I've told you I won't come back without a degree. This I'm determined.)
---
At the phone booth…
"I say so and it'll be so," said Kaede. "Hello? What?"
-Kanagawa-
At the post office…
Tut. (A/n: The sound you hear when you're running out of credit while you're using the public phone.)
"Hello?" Hana called into the receiver.
Tut.
"Kitsune, say something."
Tut.
"There's no time."
Tut.
"You don't make a sound, it's wasting money, kitsune."
Tut.
"Next time I'll-"
Click.
Tu...
Even when the line was cut and Kaede was no longer on the other side of the line, Hana still held the receiver to her ear.
"I'll call you again when I've saved enough money," she said softly.
-End of flashback-
Tbc...