My Déjà vu


From the personal diary of Kenny Shinoda

Date: May 7th

Always late.

Always.

I don't know why Amadeo has Tyson's way for lingering on the roads when we needed those ingredients for supper that night. Something must have gone wrong on his way back.

Ho! There I go again. Being the 'mother hen' Max said I would be after all these years.

Oh well, I blame it on the Beyblade magazines that are always on sale down there at the general store on Hillcrest. Truly, though, what in the world is keeping that boy?


Normal POV


Down the thoroughfare from the 403 Highway and just below the Sunshine Acres Valley lay a insignificant little town. Well, not really a town- it was more of a village settlement than anything. Crystal clear waters flowed down off a thousand year-old mountain and into the ever-flowing river where children of all ages either swam in its depths or fished off the tall banks for the speckled salmon. The Village of Lilly River it was called and it lived up to its name in all retrospect because of the tiny flowers that lined the river banks so magnificently in the summer.

The Village itself consisted of several houses and a few family villas that were used in the summertime as a means of escape from the pollution and noise of the larger settlements. Everyone knew everyone else and they were always on a first name basis no matter who you were. The children addressed the adults accordingly and were always kind to one another. In some ways, it was a Utopia on Earth. And in other ways it was a way of life year 'round.

One child in particular was secretly born to a young man there in Lilly River. In a house that sat nestled in a little hidden valley between three rolling hills of deep-sea green. The grass was soft to the touch and was perfect for having late summer picnics or just to run around and burn off extra energy before bedtime. The house he was born in was surrounded by a three foot wall of stone that served as a fence. The yard was kept neatly cut and raked holding only a few not-so-necessary toys for the young boy to play with.

The house itself was a two story, three bedroom villa with white outside walls and blue trim. Inside one could see that the walls were a cream color, decorated with simple pictures and pressed flowers that were kept in inside hardwood frames which had been custom made by the wood smith who lived just down the road. The bedrooms were all pretty much the same- simply decorated with four poster beds and birch wood dressers. Built-in closets were kept out of sight by sliding, mirrored doors and the windows were traditionally done set in 17th century styles and covered with light gray curtains. The living room was set for a family of three with its end tables and its short, yet comfortable sofa as well as the reclining arm chair where attention was placed firmly on the gray stone fireplace that had been cleaned out until winter came again. A small porch was built just off of this room where a person could hang their coat on one of the many pegs that protruded from the wall and place their shoes on the wooden rack.

The back yard held an old, but physically strong cherry tree where- from the highest branch- hung a rope swing with its thick, flat wood seat; the grass on the ground below was worn into dirt after years of child's play. The kitchen window looked out over this display so that any parent could watch their child play. Yes, for someone who had lived there his whole life, it was Utopia.


"Amadeo, my young friend." The general store manager boasted as a young four year old gingerly stepped up to the counter and laid a note and twenty dollars on the plexi-glass surface. "Ah, your Papa sent a note this time, how very thoughtful of him. Well, I'll get what you need and you can grab a newspaper on your way out."

"Yes, Sir. Thank you." The child nodded respectively. His blue-black hair tossing lightly as he did. "How's Mrs. Richards this afternoon? Alexa told me she was sick yesterday. I would have been down to see her, but Papa needed my help with the housework."

"She's feeling better today. It was a bout of the common flu, that's all." The shopkeeper laughed lightheartedly. "If only there were kids like you in the cities we'd have a real Utopia on Earth then."

"I guess so." The boy replied. "But then, if everyone were like me the world would be a pretty boring place."

"Yes, you're right about that." The old man said with a smile and a sigh. "People do need their individualism, don't they?"

The boy grinned. "That they do, Mr. Richards. That they do." The little boy picked up his bag of things and placed them into his red and blue wagon by his feet. Grabbing a newspaper on his way out, he stumbled on a loose nail. Unable to catch himself, he braced his body for the fall that never came.

Kai Hitwari had been watching the little boy with intent crimson eyes hidden behind his designer sunglasses. He carefully took in how the boy spoke and that subtle way that he carried himself as he lifted the bag of groceries into the wagon. He watched as the boy stumbled and nearly fell… of course, the child never hit the floor. Kai's arms encircled the little boy's waist and caught him mid-fall. Amadeo, the old man had called him, tossed his confused little head to the side. Suddenly, it was as if Kai was looking into the alluring sapphire eyes of his long-lost lover. He blinked back the swell of tears that threatened to pour out over his cheeks as he helped the boy get to his feet.

"Are you alright, little one?"

"Yes, thank you very much, Sir." Amadeo replied with a smile. "You…you're not from around here are you?"

"No, I'm from Moscow, Russia." Kai replied. "Do you know you're way around here very well?"

"Yes, I do. I'm on my way home there now, but you are welcomed to come with me." This was Kai's chance to see if his suspicions were correct about the boy. "Papa doesn't usually like it when I bring visitors home with me, but you're new and I'm sure he won't mind." Kai, for just a moment in time, was tempted to ask the boy if his father's name was Kenny Shinoda, but he decided against it as they began to walk towards the northern end of the Village.

"So, Amadeo is it?" Kai said hoping to start some sort of conversation with the child. After all, if he played his cards correctly, he might just find what he was looking for. And Sanquinix did say that the place that Kenny was living was called Lilly River- although it took some time to actually find it for himself.

"Yes, that's my name." There was a short pause before: "What's your name?"

"My name? Oh, you can just call me Kai." How in the world do the adults around here get the kids to be so damned polite? Thought the slate haired man as they continued down the dirt road. "Do you know a lot of people around here?"

"You're asking all the wrong questions, Kai." Amadeo said suddenly. Kai gasped at the drastic change of events and stopped in his tracks. "You think that I'm just another kid from around here, but you're wrong. I'm not. Papa told me all about you. He told me about the way that you loved him." Amadeo chanced a glance up at the older man and sighed. "I have alot of explaining to do, don't I?" Kai said nothing. There was nothing he could say to the young boy as they continued to walk towards the house at the end of the lane. "To start off with I knew who you were before you spoke to me and I'm not too fond of the way that Papa will react to seeing you again so you better not screw this up."

Kai was shocked for a moment. "Amadeo, how old are you?"

"Four, but I'm smarter than I look. Papa teaches me anything he knows about everything. Soon, though, all of your answers you came here for will be out in the open and you'll leave again- just like he said you would."

"Just like who said I would?" Amadeo's manners seemed to fall back into place as he gave a toss of his blue-brown hair. His sapphire eyes dotted with crimson caught the glow of the sun as he looked up at Kai for what might be the last time ever. Bouncing through the front gate, the littel boy slyly stole another glance over his shoulder.

"Like I said, do not screw this up." Funny, Kai thought as he followed the boy. He's only four with the mind of a fourteen year old. Actually, in a strange sort of way, he kind of reminds me of...me. The slate haired man frowned at the house with its near empty yard and stone fence. The white and blue trim looked as if it might be mocking him, calling to him softly in small whispers of 'Come find me' and 'I'm here. You've come this far, what's stopping you now?'.

"No, I specifically told you not to bring anyone here this week, Amadeo." The all-too-familiar sound of Kenny's sweet voice reached Kai's ears through the open door as the brown haired man scolded the young child for bring yet another unwelcomed visitor to the house. Kai laughed as Amadeo squealed in a high pitch voice: "PAPA!". There was a clatter of pots and pans and more squeals- this time of laughter. "Now look what you've done!"

"It's only a cake." Came the reply. "Well, it's an upsidedown cake now, but at least I'll get to eat the icing last like I always do." Kai laughed again as he took in the contents of the yard. A small titanium beydish was laid to one side where someone could practice to their hearts content. On the other side of the yard, half hidden by a well-kept mass of red and white rose bushes surrounded by lillies as well as little blue bell flowers, was a pathway that led to the back of the house.

"Runt," Kenny said softly. "Go get you're friend."

"Yes!" Amadeo triumpantly cried as he ran back to where he left Kai standing in the front yard. "Amadeo: two; Papa: neyt." Kai stared down at the child as he tugged at the sleve of his designer jacket. Did he just speak perfectly clear Russian? He walked up to the door and took off his shoes as he entered the villa. From the kicthen floated the strong scent of cinnamon rolls and freshly baked French Vanilla cake. Kai's stomach growled impatiently at him where the last thing he ate was a meal of bacon and eggs with toast and coffee at the Quinton Hotel in Sunshine Valley. He looked at the grandfather clock in the living room and saw that it was 4:15 p.m. Supper time, to most people. "You can find some place to sit if you want. I meant what I said earlier, Kai."

"You're a handful, aren't you?" Kai asked seriously.

"Only when it comes to the person I care the most for in the entire world."

"Good," Kai replied. "I enjoy a challenge."

"That's nice, 'cause I enjoy being a challenge."

"Amadeo, be nice." Kenny said as he walked into the spacious living room. "And suppers on the table." Kenny shot Kai a wayward look. "Will you be staying for supper tonight, Kai? We're celebrating Deo's fourth birthday so there'll be plenty of-ahem- upsidedown cake for desert." Amadeo blushed slightly.

"Hey, it's not my fault you had the cake pan so close to the edge of the counter." The small boy argued.

"You're lucky it didn't fall on the floor." Kenny shot back. "Elsewise, we wouldn't be having cake at all. Now, go wash up- both of you."

"Yes, Papa." Amadeo made a mad dash for the stairs and was closely followed by Kai who didn't want to know how angry Kenny could really get. When he found the boy in the bathroom he asked:

"He always like that?"

"No, only once a year. You see, today is my birthday and I usually don't have to do anything but train or read, but this year he decides to send me on an errand to the general store." Pause. "Have you figured out where I get my attitude from yet?" Kai shook his head 'no'. "Oh well, you will soon." That kid is full of surprises. Kai thought as he dried his hands in the towel that Amadeo handed to him.

That night, supper was filled with silence as the three males sat down to eat. Kai looked up half way through his piece of cake and grinned at Amadeo as the boy dug into the huge slab of cake. Suddenly, the whole kitchen shook with laughter as Kenny reached over and pushed the boy's head into the sweet tasting treat.

"Hey! No fair, you said you wouldn't do that this year."

"You can't believe everything you hear, Kid." Kai retorted softly.

"Yes, that's true." Kenny agreed. Then, Kai's face met with a spoonful of chocolate cream icing as he laughed at the four year olds misfortune. "And so is the fact that everything- including fun- doesn't always exclude you.

"Why, you…" Kai growled playfully at Kenny as the brunette smirked smugly.

"Hey, Kai, do you like fast food?" Amadeo asked slyly.

"Yes, why?"

"ORDERS UP!" The boy cried as he flung what was left of his cake at the slate haired man.

"Ah-h-h!"

Kai looked out over the land as he sat on the porch swing and thought back on the last few years of his search. If it hadn't been for the Dark Bladers, if it hadn't been for Max's apparent screw up in Japan, if only Kai had never let him go back to Tokyo; there were so many things that he could have done to stop the love of his life from leaving that day five years ago and then disappear.

"What are you thinking about?"

Kai jumped as Kenny's voice filled the warm summer air. "In bed, is he?"

"Yes." Kenny replied. "Do you like this place?"

"It is quiet and a good ways to walk."

"Yeah, it takes twenty minutes to get from Sunshine Valley to the village and then ten more to reach the house here." Kenny sighed. "Kai, how did you find me?"

"It took four long years to find this place alone. Sometimes along the way I thought I'd never see you again or hear your sweet voice." Kai… Kenny's thought's trailed as the older man embraced him and planted a firm, but loving kiss on the brunette's mouth.

"Stay the night, we'll talk in the morning about the reason I had for running off like that."

"Will you be there when I wake?" Kai asked sadly. "Or will I have to hunt you down again?"

Kenny turned his head to gaze at the stars. "No, no more running. I'll be there; I promise."

Is everyone happy at this turnout? I hope so 'cause I'm not rewriting it!