Summary: Kai's parents' love story.
6. Eternity (white confection with hazelnut filling)
The leaves in the pink cherry blossom tree quivered in the wind. The water in the lake rippled excitedly as if good tides were coming up. The young girl sat from her bedroom window, signing to the magnificent view. The window pane separated her from all the rest of the world. She was turning 18 and still her father treated her like a 10 years old. The girl fingered nervously her long hair tied in a dark plait which hung loosely on her shoulder. She was wearing a traditional white and black kimono but her red eyes cut with all the darkness. If only she could run outside like the other girls and hang around with her girlfriends, gossiping about boys. But the only boy Keiko knew was her unbearable cousin, Takeshi.
"Keiko!"
The bedroom silence was broken by a tall boy of 17 who had raven black hair and cool blue eyes. Unlike Reiko he was wearing American clothes of jeans and baseball T-shirt.
"Takeshi!" the girl rose in alarm, "If Father see you dressed in this fashion, he'll surely punish you."
"Oh don't bother about me," the boy answered, closing the door quietly, "It's you I'm worry about. Look, you're nearly 20 and you still haven't seen the world. Luckily your cousin here is going to save you."
"Oh Takeshi," Reiko signed.
Her cousin had the capacity of getting them both in trouble with all his perturbing ideas.
"Don't worry, Koko, this time everything is calculated. I'll tell everybody in the house that you're sick and don't want to come out of the bedroom, you hardly do anyway. But in reality, you'll be enjoying yourself at our school Sakura Festival!"
Reiko was speechless. It had been an eternity that she dreamt of assisting the Festival but her father found it improper since a lot of boys would be there, and most to his eyes were louts.
"But Takeshi, I can't…"
"Of course you can!"
And just like that she found herself dressed in a purple flower kimono, her hair in a bun with a cherry blossom twig pinned in, and on her way to the Festival on her cousin's motorcycle.
"Are you alright?" Takeshi shouted through the noise the engine made.
"Alright? I'm frightened to death!" Keiko shouted back. "If Father discovered…"
"Stop being a worrying-git. We're nearly there."
"Hiwatari, aren't you coming?"
The silver-haired boy who was sitting on the school desks looked up dully from the book he was reading. He had dark blue eyes that matched his school uniform.
"You know that festivals aren't my thing, Giancarlo," the boy answered.
The blond boy grinned.
"Come on, you're be gone for ten years. Who knows more? And Russia won't have these kinds of festivals," he insisted.
The boy signed and put down his book. The least he could do for Giovanni was to assist the festival.
"You might meet someone too," his friend added, smiling widely.
Hiwatari shook his head. He was not the kind to jump on girls at the first occasion, unlike his friend.
The festival took place in front of the school. The twilight bathed the festival in an eerie atmosphere livened by the colourful lanterns. The crowd laughed and giggled excitedly around the shows. Reiko stared dumbfound at each stand waiting to be discovered.
"Takeshi!" she pulled at her cousin's sleeves pointing at a stand where you can fish for a prize.
"You want to do that?" Takeshi who was accustomed with festivals found it rather boring. "Fine, I'll go and find some food."
Reiko felt quite nervous about being left alone but she was determined to have fun.
"Excuse me," she said but the stander holder seemed not to hear her.
There were a lot of people too. But suddenly someone shoved in and Reiko found herself in front.
"A little fishing, Miss?" the stand holder who was a senior asked. He had dark blue hair.
Reiko simply nodded.
"It's easy enough. You fish a number and you get a prize according to the number," he explained giving Reiko a rod.
She smiled weakly and tried to catch a fish with the plastic rod but she was quite clumsy. She noticed other people waiting and complaining. She felt herself becoming hot. Okay, Reiko you've got to get this one, she said to herself. A golden fish was swimming that way…
"Yes!" she triumphed
"Bravo!" the boy clapped. "Let's see what you've got…"
Reiko was aiming for the cuddly panda stuffed doll hanging on the right side of the stand.
"You've got number 2. That's the rubber pistol," the boy said giving her a blue gun.
Reiko was looking at it disappointedly when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Want to exchange?"
She looked up and met a pair of dark cloudy eyes. He was holding out the panda.
"Yes, please," she nodded.
The boy gave her the doll and was turning away but she caught up with him.
"Wait, arikato," she said
The boy grinned and nodded before disappearing in the crowd.
Reiko could feel her heart beating like galloping horses. She felt flushed. What was happening to her?
"There you are, Koko."
She turned to see Takeshi holding two sticks of candy floss.
"Where shall we go now?" he asked.
They visited every stands, had their palms read (Reiko was told that she'll meet a handsome stranger but Takeshi said that the fortune teller told that to every girl) and ate waffles, crepes and drank Coke… Everything Reiko had never done before. Finally they went to watch a puppet show.
Suddenly someone tapped on Takeshi's shoulder. He turned and saw a gang of big boys. Their leader, a dark blond guy was grinning down at him.
"How are you doing, Fujikawa?" he said in a scornful tone.
"Since when you cared about my health, Parker?" Takeshi answered coolly
"Watch out for that tongue of yours, Japo," parker warned, "It'll get you in trouble."
"Don't- call- me- Japo!" Takeshi rose from the bench.
Reiko, struck by fear, tucked at her cousin's sleeves.
"Takeshi, calm down. Please," she said
The leader turned to her and his smile widened.
"Hey, what a beautiful girl you have!" he exclaimed, bending to speak with Reiko, who cowered in fear.
"What's your name, babe?" he asked
"Don't you talk to her!" Takeshi shouted but parker's men got him blocked.
"She's with me."
A voice made everyone turned.
Reiko's heart gave a beat as she recognized the blue-eye boy.
"You!" Parker breathed, moving away from Reiko
"Me," the boy answered grimly. "If you don't want trouble, let Fujikawa go and don't bother… my girl."
Parker spat but he didn't do anything else. He and his gang retreated.
"Thanks a lot, Hiwatari," Takeshi thanked the boy, rubbing his arms.
"Hn," the boy answered but his eyes was on Reiko who blushed at the intense of the gaze.
"Oh this is my cousin Reiko" Takeshi presented her. "Reiko, this is…"
"Wow, who's that maiden you've fished, Hiwatari?"
Everyone turned and saw a blond boy, much more handsome than Parker. He ran his fingers through his hair while looking intently at Reiko.
"Oh Giovanni, this is my cousin, Reiko," Takeshi said again
Giovanni wolf-whistled
"How came I've never seen you before?" he asked
"Reiko attends an all-girls- boarding school but she's on holidays now," Takeshi explained
"Well, I hope you'd be on a long holiday, so we'll have time to get to know each other," he winked at her
Reiko looked away and caught Hiwatari's eyes. He was rolling his eyes and she couldn't help giggling.
"Would you like a walk?" he asked "To get away from this friend of mine," he added in a lower voice.
She was quite frightened at the idea of being alone with him but the idea of being with Giovanni frightened her more so she nodded.
They left the two boys discreetly and found a park near the school. A few couples were walking hand in hand. Reiko felt quite nervous but she saw tat Hiwatari's hand was unsteady which would mean that he was nervous too, so she felt better.
"What made you-" Reiko started
"What made me help you?" he finished for her
She nodded.
"Well," he took her gently by the hands, "I guess it was that… you…"
"Look at these two lovebirds," a shrilling voice rang out into the night.
Hiwatari let go immediately of Reiko and turned to face Parker.
"I let you go at the festival 'cause I don't want to attract attention but here, we are alone" Parker went on.
Hiwatari pushed Reiko out of the way. The girl watched with horror as the boys punched each other like madness. Hiwatari was swifter though and he dodged Parker's attacks easier. But Parker's gang interfered and they caught Hiwatari and forced him to hold still.
"Let go of him!" Reiko cried
Parker laughed
"Leave him and come with me," he said
"Never!"
Suddenly a punch sent Parker flying. Startled, Parker looked up to see who had done it. Reiko recognized him as the fishing stand holder.
"Kinomiya! You'll pay for this!" parker shouted but Hiwatari broke free and Kinomiya and he fought off the gang.
"Are you okay?" Kinomiya asked Hiwatari when they were gone.
But he didn't answer.
"Are you alright, Reiko?" he asked her
She found out that she was trembling and tears sprouted from her eyes.
"Oh, Hiwatari," she hugged him.
It was in that moment that both he and she knew that no matter what happened they would not bear to live away from each other.
Five years later, after Hiwatari's return from Russia, he and Reiko got married when pink blossoms bloomed in the cherry trees. Reiko's father, who died two years earlier was presented in the young woman's heart. They named their son after him…
