"You're gonna be living with your mom for a little while."

Taki stopped moving, freezing to his place in a chair at the breakfast table on a sunny Tokyo Saturday morning. A cup of water halfway to his lips. His previously tired and uninterested expression now taking the form of surprise and mild shock.

"What?" Taki nearly choked out,

Taki's father let out a sigh, setting down his own cup. Leaning his elbows on the table in their small shared dining room. He intertwined his fingers and rested them just below his nose, closing his eyes in quiet thought.

"I said you'll be living with your mother. In Itomori." The light brown haired man untangled his fingers and picked up his cup to drink what Taki assumed was probably the first of many coffees this morning.

Taki knew his mom and how she lived out in the countryside of Japan. Although Taki never understood her like he did his father. It wasn't that they had a lot of disagreements, it was just that his mother seemed to make some...strange choices for life. Instead of choosing to live with him and his father in Tokyo. A sprawling metropolis with plenty to offer them. She instead decided to go out and live alone in some weird town no ones even heard of. It made Taki a little upset to think or talk about. She would rather live out there than with a stable family here? On the one hand, why? Did they do something wrong, did they upset her? On the other hand, how could she! She abandoned him. Sure Taki was fine with his dad, and he loved both of his parents equally. But she forced him to practically grow up without a mother for years only visiting once or twice and not sticking around for that long even then. For what? What could be possibly worth denying him an extremely important figure in every person's childhood? Taki stopped wondering a long time ago, he didn't see his mom enough to dwell on what she was thinking for too long. As he was sure she did the same.

"Why. For how long?" Taki asked, almost a little forcefully setting down his water. His father visibly wincing a little bit,

"There's just...some stuff is happening and...Taki. Your mother thinks she should spend more time with you. I-I have a business thing soon, and I'll likely be out of town a little. I can't have you stirring up trouble anyway."

"I don't stir up troub-"

"Your mother misses you. She loves you very much Taki. I agree that maybe a little time living in Itomori might allow you two to get closer together. Maybe even give you a...unique perspective on life, a new outlook."

Taki was silent, but the hints of frustration showed in his posture and in his almost cold expression. His shoulders were hunched and tense. It was also clear he was almost gritting his teeth when he opened his mouth and said,

"If mom missed us why isn't she here? Why do you barely talk anymore." oof. That may have been harsh.

Scratch that, it was harsh. Pretty damn true, but also a pretty damn painful punch to the gut for Taki's father. Who visibly tensed and almost recoiled like he had been slapped by Taki. He might as well have been. He'd essentially been verbally slapped.

"She-...She misses you Taki."

"You didn't answ-"

"Taki." the boy looked up (more like glared up) at his father.

Frustration seemed to be carved into his eyes as he awaited the man's next words.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't goddamn fair! He knew people here in Tokyo! Shinta! Tsukasa! He liked it here! He had something here. A home, friends! He understood things here! Who were they, to just strip him away from all of this? It made him want to break something. It made him want to break multiple things.

"What about school," Taki asked, "Summer ends like, almost tomorrow. Will I be back by then?"

His father squeamishly turned in his seat scratching his chin slightly in what was clearly an internal debate. One that Taki was not at all excited to hear the result of. The man sighed and looked back to his son,

"You won't be here for the next year of high school." There was silence.

"What," Taki asked, as less of a question and more of a statement. His father let out another long sigh,

"Your mother enrolled you into Itomoris local high school. You'll spend your sophomore year there. Then-"

Taki couldn't take this anymore. He slammed his hands down on the table, slid out of his seat and marched back to his room. Ignoring his father's calls to stop and sit back down. Once he got to his room he slammed shut the door behind him and locked it. Throwing his body onto his bed and screaming into his pillow.

After calming down enough to not punch his wall and subsequently break his hand, Taki rolled over so he was looking up at the ceiling.

"Itomori huh?" He asked, hoping silently that this was all some kind of cruel joke.

……………………………………………………………………………………………….

The whistle of the train at the station was enough to disprove and virtually disintegrate Takis hopes.

Turning around to face his friends gathered on the platform consisting of Shinta, Tsukasa, Miki, and his father. Letting out a sigh he walked towards his two school friends and embraced them in a quick group hug.

"Don't go forgetting about us out there in the country." Shinta joked though Taki could hear the sadness in his voice,

He wasn't excited to be starting a new year without his friends either.

The boys released from their goodbye embrace and Miki approached Taki. Hugging her co-worker,

"Good luck out there Taki." She said,

"Thanks, guys," Taki responded somberly.

Finally, Taki stepped towards his father. His dad visibly fidgeted for a moment before looking Taki dead in the eyes and wrapping an arm around his son for a quick hug. Taki returned it, albeit a little less heartfelt than with the others. He was still angry after all.

"Write to us son." Was all his dad said before nodding to the boy to get on the train.

Taki reciprocated the gesture and turned on his heels to board the train to the middle of nowhere.

As Taki took his seat and waved goodbye out the window to his friends and family while the train began moving along. He leaned back and wondered to himself.

"I wonder who I'll meet there."