Hiiiiii!
This has been a long one, and I'm glad I was able to get it done. I really hope you guys enjoy this update and I'll post the next one when it's done. Let me know, do you guys prefer shorter chapters or longer chapters?
Happy reading, and feel free to leave your thoughts in a review! Much love and blessings to you all! ^^
Chapter Twenty-Four: Revival
By the time we return from the Wong's "Magic Voyage" and step back into reality, I discover via my car's stereo that it's early morning on a Tuesday and officially the first day of May. I've lost track of the time so this is, sure enough, alarming. I can't believe how fast the year's going.
Pulling into the driveway of Mizuhara World, I end the hour-long call between Lionel and me. I had to verbally thank him for the charity as well as everything else he's done, and what better time than when life seems slower.
The lovely couple is off to England for their Honeymoon and truthfully I'm not jealous. Think I'd rather be home instead of traveling, but to each their own and good luck. I'm not sure why I feel this way. Maybe I'll change my mind over time.
Busily unpacking my things, I spot Agatha in my bedroom's doorway as I round the foot of my bed. Turning my gaze directly onto her, I see she's gripping the frame and looks as though she's about to crumble, her knees knocking as they quake in pain. I hurry over to her and catch her the second she buckles, letting her fall into my casually cloaked arms. I chose to wear sweatpants and a basic teeshirt on the way back, and I don't regret it, I'm exhausted so I'm sleeping in this.
"I told you to wait and let me carry you," I gently scold, hating myself for not being able to move any quicker or take any of her discomforts onto my shoulders.
"Sorry. I didn't want to burden you with anything else," she shakily says, breathing in and out through her trembling lips in an attempt to soothe herself.
We discovered after sitting on that park bench the other night that her already blistered feet were actually bleeding. Wearing brand new shoes that hadn't been broken in wasn't a good idea. As her prize, the universe gave her bedrest with uncle Max and me. The wraps are covering her legs from the ankles on down, and I pity her, but you live and learn. Luckily, the bleeding stopped on the first night.
She looks at me with apologetic eyes, and I just smile empathetically. I lift her, my arms having an easier time of it now because I've done it for nearly two days. It was uncle's idea, not mine.
"You're not a burden... Maybe, deodorize your feet next time you wear them, and probably don't wear new shoes to an amusement park?" I say, her twig arms twined around my neck.
"I didn't think it'd be this bad," she defends, her eyes emoting that she knows I'm right.
"It's okay," I say in understanding as we approach the daybreak-dyed room, her door left cracked.
I tap it wider with my foot and soon lay her atop the pillowy mass. She makes herself cozy and I exit, resisting the immediate and intense impulse to kiss her goodnight, or good morning as it were.
"Sleep tight," I kindly say as I walk off, my small smile unyielding.
"You too," I hear her mumble into her pillows, the happiness and gratitude evident.
I gallop down the stairs to find Uncle on the couch, nursing a half-empty bottle of Starbucks mocha cold brew. I thought the doctor told him to lay off the sweets? Ya know, because of age and prediabetes, but I guess he's as adamant as Kai for doing his own thing.
"She's out, again," I say as I sit next to him, Uncle's tired but still bubbly blues on me.
"And now it's your turn. See you later, alligator,"
I laugh as he waves me off in a playful shooing motion. I see his point and get up. Still, part of me wants to power through and spend some quality time with him before I have to get to Kai and help him out.
While climbing the stairs, my body suddenly feels pounds heavier than before. The house phone sounds its ear-splitting chimes, and adrenaline makes me rush back down.
Uncle beats me to it, picking up the landline on the rounded table that stood by the sofa. The crooked, coil cable stretches straight as he pulls the black receiver to his ear.
From the base of the steps I can't make out what's being said, but the older man's face has gone serious at the audibly deep voice.
"What?!" he exclaims, a rising hand brushing and somewhat covering his mouth in alarm as he bolts to his fuzzy, grey socks.
"... Ok, I'll- Oh. Ok... New pad of paper and a good pen? Ok, on it... Right. He's driven half the night so I'll drop him off and pick him up... Understood,"
The call ends, and my mind is racing. Uncle swallows his nerves, still trying to process all of the information he was told. Why isn't he saying anything? What's going on? Is it good, bad?
Looking at me, Uncle seriously says, "You need to, um, shower and get dressed in fresh clothes. Keep it nice, m'kay. I've gotta drive you to the hospital,"
Without a word, I scramble about, my head running amuck with the kind of wonder that can't pin itself down. Within thirty minutes, I'm ready to go, Uncle deciding to stay in his robe and sleepwear. He looks like he's ready for bed save for the shoes he's slipped on.
On the way there I'm advised to listen to what the doctor says and told that no matter what it is I shouldn't argue. Guess the hectic weekend was rougher than I could've imagined. Nevertheless, what does all this have to do with Kai? Where does he fit into all this?
We arrive at the hospital in record time. I hug Max and say that I love him before I zip out in a flash to dash inside, he returns the affections and lets me loose.
The second blanket of warmth shrouds my being, and seconds later I lock eyes with the caller.
"Follow me," the Russian blonde kindly commands, his steel eyes saying that he's happy I came when I did.
I obey and stay in step with him despite my burning legs. We soon approach Kai's room, and the doctor pokes his head in the door after opening it, his brick wall body blocking my view in the process. What the hell man?!
He then speaks in the same language I heard when Max was in the hospital but as hard as I try I can't pick up on anything from the other side.
Closing the door, Dr. Spencer turns back to me and asks, "Got your pad of paper and a pen?"
I dig into my bag and show them to him.
He smirks at me, gratified, "Atta boy,"
With the twist of the heavy knob, the door is opened again, allowed to widen on its own. Spencer walks inside, the tilt of his head urging me to tread on his heels, and I do so without hesitation.
"Hey… Lookin' good… Been waitin' long?"
I freeze in awe at the rough-sounding but still familiar voice. I stand somewhere between the bed and the door, eyes stuck on the man smiling at me. His eyes tell me that this isn't a dream. That, for the first time in nearing half a year, I did hear him speak.
Kai extends a hand to me, and after taking it, I am encouraged along until I'm standing by the bed. I want to weep into his shoulder like before but pride will no longer let me. I have to be the strong one for him.
I sit in the same old chair and jot down all Spencer tells me to even if I don't fully understand it. I call uncle Max and practically shout out the news. Turns out Spencer only told him that he had news regarding Kai and nothing else...
Not only can he speak clearly, but Kai's also coming home soon. Until then, he'll be in physical therapy under the care of Mathilda and Spencer. Uncle Max says he'll be happy to take the teacher under his roof until he's fully mobile, and Kai doesn't hesitate to accept the offer, a hint of long-held regret in his eyes.
Once the medical personnel leave, I can't help but ask the questions tugging on my tongue.
"When did you learn to speak again? Do you remember what happened, anything while you were knocked out?"
Kai snorts, finding my ramble endearing. "You sound like your mother,"
I smile, a glint in my eyes, "I don't know whether to be offended or thrilled,"
"It's a compliment," he says before chuckling at my face, chest bouncing slightly before a spit spraying coughing fit snatches his air. He rolls the other way to keep me dry but I squeeze his right hand to let him know I'm riding this out with him.
My heart's rate increases in fear as I bolt to my feet. I feel my shoulders fall in relief once I hear him start to regain his breath.
"Want me to get someone?" I say, my heartbeat in my ears.
Kai shakes his head no. "I'm alright. Still adjusting to the new medication,"
"Medication?" I ask as I slowly sit back down.
"It's an anti-reaction one that keeps my body from attacking the new lungs,"
"Oh?"
"I'll be on it for the rest of my life, and believe it or not I'm fine with that,"
I let go of his hand while we pause for a breather, and in that time I read over all the chicken scratches I wrote down. They're instructions on how to properly care for and maintain Kai's health for the rest of this year.
"As for your questions..." I hear the hero say.
I look at Kai attentively, closing the spiral-bound notebook. No wonder they told me to bring an unused one. It's already a quarter of the way full, and I know there will be more to pen down.
"Yeah?" I hopefully encourage.
"Dr. Petrov helped me while you were away. I told him I wanted to surprise you. I do remember what happened before I passed out, all of it. Lastly, I do remember your voice. Though most is a blur. I don't recall any of what you said, just the sound,"
I grin widely, "Well I'm surprised, and I'm glad you're all there in the head department,"
"Me too, me too,"
"Speaking of mom," I begin, trailing off for a second or two before regaining the ability to speak. I feel my face heat up and go red but do my best to make it less noticeable.
"How did, you two meet?"
Kai sighs as he relaxes into the bed, the comfortable huff coming out of his now tubeless nose.
Taking him in further I notice too that his once long and full, salt and pepper beard is neatly trimmed. It's styled in that lazy stubble kind of scruffy that a decent amount of Western women seem to go nuts for. It looks really good on him. I'm not much for beards, but I hope I can pull one off someday. He's probably gonna shave clean before he leaves the center but it's cool to see him sport something different. His hair is long still, but no longer looks matted or even the least bit dirty. It's tidied up, reminiscent of his late teenage years when he was part of the G Revolutions team.
Getting my mind back on track, I wait for him to answer my question.
"Childhood acquaintances. Being Max's younger sister, Charlotte would often accompany us on our travels and cheer us on in tournaments,"
Looking at me, Kai adds in amusement, "That little stinker did so by wearing my face paint in the same style I did, a purple turtle shell backpack she called 'armor', a dragoon decorated baseball cap, and fake nails she called her 'tiger claws.' It was crazy, but we had to let her do it,"
"Oh my gosh, that's awesome," I say through hard laughter.
Kai laughs too, coughing some afterward.
After sunrise, breakfast is carted in, and Kai shows me he's able to feed himself after politely saying that he's got it. I watch nervously while I chew the egg and rice bowl Dr. Spencer handed me on the way out, the local news playing on the television.
While we eat, I decide it's a better time than any to update him on all he's missed.
"So…" I begin, my mouth empty and heart thumping nervously against the walls of my chest.
Kai turns to me expectantly, flecks of sticky rice and creamy eggs spattering around his mouth and jaw. I let out an airy laugh.
Maybe it's the Mizuhara influence, but Kai looks like a child right now, and it's adorable. Fighting the urge to keep prodding him, I make a circular motion around my mouth and chin. Kai quickly fetches the clue and, practically glowing bright red, cleans himself up with one of his napkins. He turns to me and I look him over when he's done, giving him a cheerful thumbs-up in return.
"What did you want to say?" Kai asks before taking a drink of his prepackaged orange juice, voice phlegmy from the food.
"Oh yeah… Uh… Just wanted to update you on all you've missed. To start off, Agatha and I have become the unlikeliest of friends,"
Kai blinks, I assume in surprise because everyone else did, and then offers me a small, sweet smile. Then, not a minute later, he squints his eyes in thought.
"How's she holdin' up with the baby?" Kai asks, a hint of concern in his eyes.
My face falls into a soft, disheartened frown. I guess he hasn't paid too much attention to the news? Eh, it's alright.
"She lost the baby... It was a boy. Tac on that she's visually impaired because of how hard the pregnancy was on her body… Sh- she's had it rough,"
Kai's face mirrors mine, his heart sinking.
I blush at the thought of her and bashfully look down at my knees with a lovestruck grin.
In a dreamy tone, I say, "While timid and more guarded, she's come so far," I look at Kai, continuing, "She's pressed on and is headstrong when it comes to her education. It's clear she doesn't want to be treated as less than or have her disability to be all she's known for and I admire that. It doesn't stop ignorant or uncaring people from being buttholes though. I'm so glad I got to know the real her. She's respectful and dare I say considerate to a fault, would give you the shirt off her back if need be. She hates drawing attention to herself but also has this uncle Max-esque energy when it comes to Disney movies, reading too. I can't count the fun conversations we've had or how many times she's made me laugh with her sense of humor. It's taken her a bit but she's learning to laugh at herself, as well as me and my stupid ass. Oh my gosh, this one time, she made me a plate of food and instead of pointing at me, she pointed at Makoto as she kindly said, 'Hey, I made you a plate of food.' Makoto knowingly told her 'thank you' and despite her reddening face she laughed it off like a champ. It was so cute,"
Kai chuckles, chest shaking as he covers his reddening face with his hands. He looks at me, wiping his watery eyes.
"You've got it bad," he says, composing himself before offering me a teasing smirk.
My back stiffens, face feverish from embarrassment.
"Is it that obvious?" I reluctantly ask, my puberty-rich voice shaking.
"Thought you were writing a novel,"
I grin sheepishly and confess to crossing the Friendship line.
Kai nods and asks when all this went on. I answer that it was actually rather recent, at Lionel and Sinead's wedding reception. I add on that the newlyweds got engaged last Christmas and emphasize that I did not plan any of what I did.
Kai sends me an understanding smile, this one closed too but his lips are tighter and widen into a line.
I clear my throat, doing my best to stave off the awkwardness that wants to creep in.
"The community's views on you have changed and school's getting better. My grades are back up and I'm not skipping anymore,"
He smiles, briefly showing me his whitened teeth.
"Knew you could do it," he says groggily, suddenly looking much sleepier, bordering on drained.
"Thanks, guess you decided to ignore the community part?" I prod, the mood staying light.
"Hmph, I don't care what the world thinks of me, never have. S'nice to know they no longer want my head though,"
Kai lets out a small, but weighted exhale, a hand going to his head that I assume is aching from the overload.
I sit there, deciding to finish off my food while he processes it all.
"I know it's a lot, sorry," I say after a bit, placing my dishes on the table next to his empty set.
Kai looks at me after a bit, appearing to have at last come down from his dizzying ride, the urge to speak flickering in his half-lidded pools. His peepers slowly flutter closed, and before I can ask if he's okay, he's fallen asleep.
I feel my eyes droop at the serene sight, the need to snooze overtaking me as well. I cup my chin in my left hand after leaning to one side, and in a matter of seconds, my heavy eyes shut.
Sometime later, I'm stirred by the buzzing of my phone. Ridding my eyes of the crusty edges, I pluck it out of my rear pocket and scan the screen after unlocking it with a swipe.
Turns out, Emmitt stopped by the shop several minutes ago to get some Beyblade parts. (He doesn't seem like the type honestly but what do I know? I'm the king of "don't judge a book by its cover.")
Anyway… While uncle Max was preparing his order, the dirtbag noticed Agatha stocking shelves and cornered her. After making her face him and pinning her to the shelving unit, Emmitt pulled out a knife and said that he was going to teach her a new type of "love." Emmitt made a run for it once uncle returned from the back room and instantly charged. Emmitt dropped his kitchen knife in the process.
Practically foaming at the mouth with fury, I text uncle back that I'm on my way home.
He hastily responds that she's fine, just shaken up. But does ponder over why Emmitt is doing all this in the first place?
I summarize that it's because he knows her history and is baffled that any woman at all would resist his advances. He also seems to believe that because he's a foreigner he shouldn't be allowed to be told no.
I stand up and head out to my car, only stopping to tell Dr. Mathilda how Kai is doing and that I'll be back soon. My frantic tone sets both her motherly and professional instincts into high gear, and she asks me what's happened with a care-coated sadness alight in her eyes.
My fear makes me sound short of breath as I say, "I need to make sure my girlfriend's okay. She was just attacked,"
Mathilda nods in understanding and lets me go after telling me that we're in her prayers.
I rush into the shop to find uncle Max talking to two male officers at the table.
The moment I make my presence known outside of my bedroom, Agatha spins 'round out of my computer chair and bolts into my arms, my hold on her swiftly locking. I quickly notice that she isn't crying, even though her hug is as rigid as mine and she's trembling.
"I'm so relieved," I whisper breathlessly, forcing some tears back.
"… Me too… S'all thanks to Mr. Mizuhara," she utters, voice barely audible.
I kiss the top of her head and continue to hold her while a calming silence surrounds us.
I hear law enforcement leave and not long after we're called downstairs for a chat.
"Did you find out anything about my parents? How are they?" Agatha asks as she sits down at my right, my butt sitting on the sofa already.
Uncle found out from the cops that Agatha's parents are fine but have moved to a different part of the country, a prefecture he's never heard of, and now act as if they don't know who she is, let alone ever had a daughter.
"Those bastards, what the hell?!" I bellow, my anger rising to High instantly.
Uncle shrugs his slouched shoulders in confusion, overall at a loss for words because he's stupefied too. He can see the devastation in Agatha's eyes, and his heart goes out to her as does mine.
I guess there's no chance at repairing the family tree after all. Given their maturity and how highly they held family values, I truly thought they'd come around once the scrutiny had died down. Either that, or they'd think things over after hearing at least one of us out and realize what was truly important… sticking together. Uncle Max got in touch with them after Christmas to let them know that Agatha had a roof over her head that wasn't her car which has since been sold. They never responded to any of the messages.
I rub small circles, which are hopefully soothing to some extent, on her back as she wails into a throw pillow on the couch. She's inconsolable at the reality of being officially disowned, her hopes and dreams for the potential future shattered.
Uncle Max silently calls me over with his right index finger and I obey, getting up to follow him into the shop.
He closes the heavy door, making Agatha's sobs muffled, and we lock eyes, his appearing stern while mine flicker with concern.
"Go stay with your dad, I'll call you when you can come back,"
My eyebrows knit, forming a tight line, but before I can breathe out the why bubbling at the back of my throat or protest that I'm staying, uncle fixes me with two steady hands on my shoulders.
"I know you live here, but what I need to talk with her about doesn't involve you. After we talk, one of us will fill you in. No ifs, ands, or buts, m'kay?"
I nod, and defeatedly mutter, "Yes, sir,"
I take my leave as ordered, stopping momentarily to give Agatha a sweet peck on her head.
I arrive at the hospital minutes after picking up some takeaway for myself and Kai.
A week goes by, and the guys remark one after the other that Emmitt isn't around. Once Agatha is in her therapy session, I explain to Lin, Rachel, and Makoto in a corner that due to a recent assault charge he's under house arrest. All three faces sour, and amid the girls exchanging woeful glances, Makoto urges me aside with an arm around my shoulders.
Over by the cart of various balls, he asks if Agatha is okay and I answer that she's fine overall, just rattled mentally.
As of now Agatha's aunt Julia has full custody of her, but until the athlete queen can get a place here, uncle Max is her caretaker. Makoto then asks if there's anything more he can do besides continue to play guard dog when my back is turned or I'm not around. We don't only do this for Agatha, we do it for Lin and Rachel too. Agatha just seems to be Emmitt's favorite sport.
When class is over, Lin calls out my name and thus stops my stride outside of the boys' locker room.
"What is it?" I ask the sweating girl, her high ponytail bouncing about and swinging to a stop after she jogs up to me.
"Last night, I saw Agatha's name on the latest class roster. She's signed up for Self-Defense classes at the fitness center baba works at. She's finally taking herself back from that hideous monster and then some," she tells me, her eyes alight with that 'you go girl' kind of pride.
"Ok cool. Is he teaching her?" I ask with an ample grin.
"Of course. Anyway, as your friend, I didn't want your teddy bear side to freak out if she suddenly came home bruised up," she pokes with a coy smirk before happily scampering off to the ladies' side of this large, somewhat echoey space.
I ignore the jab at my masculinity and figure that uncle Max must know because the paperwork (at least at this place) has to be filled out by an adult.
The third week of May arrives, and in that warm, consistently sunny buzz, I'm trying to figure out what to wear to the Spring Formal as well as studying for our finals. Emmitt is still stuck at home so I haven't seen his mom at the hospital. His dad is working extra hours to make up the hit to their finances. He apologizes to me when we cross paths, and I repeat that it's not his fault his child is the way he is.
Speaking of fathers, Kai has come a long way. He's in the long-term Rehabilitation Unit of the facility and is expected to be discharged in early June.
Kai is always exhausted by the end of our visits, but I can tell how much he enjoys the company. It makes his day when I'm able to drop by.
Today sees Uncle Max, Lionel, and Agatha coming with me to see him. We're only allowed four people at a time so as not to overwhelm the patient, but I know they'll cry like babies the moment they lay eyes on him and his ever-increasing health. I'm certain Kai won't be without waterworks of his own though. Seeing uncle well and literally up on his feet will no doubt cause some to show.
Walking into the immaculate room, we spot a nurse giving him a breathing test. Judging by the fact that it's only two o'clock in the afternoon, I'm guessing this is his second round of the day. The red, squishy ball inside the clear hose is wobbly but staying in the middle, revealing that his lungs are getting stronger. I haven't seen him moving around yet but they usually do that therapy when no one is around so the patient can focus on themselves and what they need.
Kai huffs and puffs heavily after the elderly Japanese woman removes the bulky, inhaler-like tube from his gob, the ball falling hard below the plainly visible dark red line. She didn't remove it as carefully as I would've liked and it makes me angry. The two on either side of me sense it and exchange anxious glances.
"That's a good sight to see," uncle Max jovially says not a second later, intentionally giving away his presence to derail my temper train.
Kai, face still flushed, looks in our direction and lights up, grinning tiredly.
I return the smile, mine saying hello too, but Agatha… Oh boy… She walks as fast as her little feet will carry her, her thigh-high socks rubbing against themselves as well as her shorts.
Kai's face goes soft, and he extends an arm to hug her. My ears pick up on sobs and sniffling not a second later, and although I expected this, I thought Agatha would've at least waited until the nurse left the room.
"Poor thing," uncle says as he makes his way up to the two, a tearful Lionel right behind him.
In the flurry of tears, Agatha informs her hero of what she would've named the tot had he made it, and as you can probably guess, Kai hugged her tighter, getting misty-eyed himself.
Lionel walks around the bed and, after getting his attention with a gentle tap, wipes Kai's eyes dry with a fresh tissue so the man can attempt to reclaim his breath.
"Hey there," Kai huskily utters afterward, rounding his arms to hug the taller gent and patting his back a few times.
Lionel sheds his tears too, but as quickly as they come, he's composed himself.
Uncle Max sits Agatha in a chair close to the bed and then sits beside her in the other one. Thankfully there's a couch in this room.
"Congratulations," Kai says to Lionel, "Don't do any of what I did,"
Uncle laughs, knowing what Kai is referring to. "I don't think anyone can replicate how closed off you were after an argument,"
I spit out my soda from the school's vending machine, spraying it all over me before the nurse gives me a tissue to clean myself up. She exits the room after.
"Pop, what the hell? Even my dumbass knows to communicate,"
Lionel smiles, telling him thanks for the advice before turning to me.
"Pop?" Kai says sounding confused, unsure of what to think.
I feel my cheeks flush red and go hot at all the eyes on me. Rubbing the back of my head, I say, " Um, I…"
Kai softly smiles before he says, "Take your time, you can call me whatever you want,"
I relax at that, hoping the awkward air will dissipate soon.
For those wondering, I haven't whispered a word about the money. Lionel is wanting to wait until Kai has an official release date set because there's a party in the works. I'm all for that since it's small, but I'm not sure if Kai likes parties. He doesn't seem like the party type.
Later that night, I help uncle Max make dinner and ask him something that's been weighing on me lately.
"What is it?" he asks in concern as my eyes fall to the floor in nervousness.
"I… I don't want to call you uncle anymore," I utter, my voice audibly shaking from the anxiety.
"Gou…" he says, cupping my cheek as his eyes hint at what I might be getting at.
"Would you mind if I called you papa again?"
I look at him after mumbling it, not sure how any of this will go.
As the hot pot of leftovers simmers away into a fragrant mass of grilled meat and spices, he smiles at me.
"Of course you can, but why the change of heart?"
"Because you'll always be my papa, and no matter how much I try and tell myself differently, I can't shake that. I know the truth and do accept it, but things are the way they are,"
Papa strokes my unfallen tears away with his thumb and hugs me tightly before kissing my head.
"I love you," he says sweetly.
"I love you too," I say, finally letting myself relax into his hold.
The day of the dance arrives before we know it, and the busy day winds down to a somewhat chill evening. Exams are over and that means our brains are in vacation mode. I am so ready to do nothing for the next few weeks.
I walk downstairs at a steady pace, snapping straight the royal purple jacket of my professionally cleaned rental suit.
Papa's cellphone immediately shoves itself into my face, the video section of the camera hard at work. I've never cared for cameras of any kind and still don't, but all this makes him happy so I let him have at it.
Reaching the base of the stairs, my arms drop at my sides, and I say with a half-hearted and shy grin, "Not time yet,"
"Suck it up buttercup, this is as much for Kai as it is for me,"
I relax at that and smile for real, my hands going in the pockets of my matching pants. This motion unintentionally reveals my white button-up, as well as my possibly crooked bowtie, and too the black suspenders holding my bottoms in place.
I notice the phone tilt and papa's face sour. Eyeing me, he sharply says, "Are you serious?"
For a moment I don't know what he's talking about, and my face shows my confusion, but then he points down to my feet, being sure to keep that firm, fatherly finger out of view.
"Your work boots? Really, Gou?" he says, more of his disapproval coming through.
I look at my footwear and then smile at him innocently. "What? I couldn't find my dress shoes,"
Papa scoffs in disbelief and frustration before giving me his phone. He loudly walks up the stairs to search what he calls, "the black hole" for my shoes.
He comes down seconds later with the polished pair in hand and proceeds to thump my left shoulder with the hard soles.
"It's a formal event, porcupine. Go fix yourself," he lovingly orders, dropping the shoes before the sofa seconds later.
As I sit on the couch to "make myself more presentable" I realize that the influences of Eastern and Western parenting styles have truly made papa an odd force to be reckoned with, and I both love and hate it. Ok, I don't "hate it" perse, it just drives me nuts at times. Like tonight, I could've gone without this. What's wrong with my boots? I washed them, twice, they're fine!
Once the black shoes are secured, I send the man a pointed half glare, my eyes conveying that he can stop recording me.
Behind the phone, papa silently gestures with his free hand for me to shift my pale purple bowtie down some and make it level on both sides.
I squat in front of the shoulder-length mirror leaning back against the closet door and do as instructed. I'll admit, I do look better. Ok, now I'm ready to go.
Papa turns his attention to something else and once I triple-check myself, I stand tall at the sound of close-toed wedges tapping along the smooth surface beneath us.
My jaw all but unhinges in awe at the stunning goddess coming to a stop in front of me, my shoes making us even in height for once. I knew what she was wearing, but oh my goodness.
"You… Gulp,"
While she giggles at my attempt to speak, I'm cringing on the inside and visibly red, the air and my ability to talk stuck in my throat.
Agatha is dressed in a modest, short-sleeved gown. The lavender colored cloth elegantly drifts to the floor as it cascades over her. White rose embellishments and leaf-like lace ribbon over the top and then seamlessly drape far below her waistline as if they are alive. The enveloping layers of sparsely glittered tulle and nature-themed appliqués timelessly accentuate her physique.
Her healthy hair is laying down around her as always. While the red is left to be as usual, the brown in the back is styled in beachy waves, the soft but bouncy curls giving a youthful playfulness to what would almost be considered too fancy for a school function.
And here I thought I couldn't take my eyes off her before. If I die tonight, I will die a happy man.
The next several minutes see us awkwardly exchanging compliments and madly blushing while papa gushes over us, takes pictures, more videos, and we desperately try not to make outright fools of ourselves.
"What are you gonna do while we're gone, wait up for us?" Agatha asks, standing next to me at the door.
"Pfffft, no, I'm goin' to bed," he says with a broad grin, glints of teasing in his eyes.
While I know he'll do his best to wait up for us, I wouldn't put it past him doze off. He does love his naps after all.
We arrive at our school five minutes late, but it's not a big deal.
Heading out to the courtyard, we see archways of handpicked but still familiar flowers bordering the entrance and exit, while the usual blossoming nature is what decorates the area as well as the meager amount of round tables that are clearly from the teacher's lounge. This school is pathetic.
I gaze at Agatha who has no doubt noticed the meh environment. I'm going to let her reaction determine whether or not we still go through with this.
"You wanna leave? I seriously thought it'd be better than this considering the lot paid,"
Agatha twines her left arm through my right one and, to my surprise, shakes her head no.
Sending me a soft, sincere smile she says, "The atmosphere doesn't make the night, you do,"
I smile broadly before leading us the rest of the way in.
Glancing around, some generic pop song playing in the background while corresponding lights move about, I spy Rachel and Makoto chatting at the buffet table, mainly standing by the punch bowl.
I look at Agatha and we head over to them, her arm unlinking itself from mine the closer we get.
"You're not planning to spike that are you?" I light-heartedly say, getting their attention.
The two smile when they see me, chuckling some beforehand.
"No, I should though. It'd make things more fun. Not even half an hour in and this blows, hard," Makoto spits, obviously not happy at being stuffed in a monkey suit.
"This school will shell out a crazy amount to save face, but forget decorating for an event they've built up as this grand right of passage," I retort, fighting the impulse to stuff my face with some punch instead of the underwhelming pizza that is supposed to be our food.
"Oh wow. Aggy, you look lovely," Rachel cuts in, ogling the dolled-up girl.
Agatha says thank you in a bashful tone before Rachel hurriedly steps around the long, rectangular table to give her a warm hug and thus reveal her outfit.
It's a simple, fitted, mint green dress. It's strapless and stops below her knees. I spot the brown ballerina flats on her wide feet, and that makes her look directly at me, Makoto joining her.
"Yo! Did you suddenly get taller, or do I need glasses?" Rachel asks, finally noticing that Agatha isn't a head-and-a-half higher than me.
I plainly answer her, for a second pointing down, "No, it's the shoes,"
Makoto's friend-date looks genuinely confused. Pointing at me, she says, "But, wasn't Mr. Hiwatari tall at your age?"
"Yes," I emphasize, "But my mom wasn't. She never grew after middle school… I'm gettin' royally screwed here, guys,"
Makoto and I laugh a bit at me poking fun at my own situation, lifting the mood higher.
Looking us over prompts Makoto to speak. "What is it with tall girls wanting short guys and short guys wanting tall girls?"
"Mako, not everyone prefers that," Rachel pipes in, her voice a mix of cackling shock and amusement.
"It's true though. Look around ya," he defends, feeling somewhat uncomfortable with how he'd worded that.
I briefly smirk and say with my best gameshow host announcer voice, "Congratulations, Rachel, it appears you've won a night out with two brain cells clad in a poorly made meat suit,"
Agatha waves them goodbye within the rising noises, Rachel laughing loudly at my humorous remark.
Meanwhile Makoto, who merely seems alarmed that I said that, states over the music that it's cool but he'll get me back for that eventually.
The dance carries on as one would expect, but two hours in, around nine o'clock, Agatha and I decide to head out and cap off the night with something else. We tap our bored friends on their shoulders amid an acoustic rendition of the early 2000s song, Save Me by Remi Zero. They do not hesitate to join us. We notify two teachers as per the rules and quickly head in the direction of the rear parking lot.
"Where are we headed?" Makoto asks as he slides into one of the rear seats of my car.
Shutting my door, I turn to him and cooly remark, "Go put your dirty monkey butt in your own car,"
Makoto's face sours and he says in a disgruntled tone, "Killjoy,"
I chuckle as he leaves and light up the moment my girlfriend glides into the passenger side, closing the door beside her.
Rachel taps the window and I gladly roll it down. Agatha hugs her goodbye, both repeating how beautiful the other looks.
"We're goin' to eat at our usual place," I say before starting my car.
Rachel perks up and dashes to her vehicle that's a space between us. It's a pristine, baby blue Honda Civic, and she starts it before I pull out and drive off with her tailing me.
After a lovely dinner, one with Makoto that didn't break the bank, the two of us head home.
Driving, I glance at Agatha who's mindlessly fiddling with the stereo trying to find something worth listening to. I know the dance was boring and leaving was mutual, but I still can't help feeling that I ruined her night.
"Did you have fun?" I ask while turning another corner into a neighborhood, passing Kai's former home like always.
Agatha looks at me and, with a sweet smile, says, "While not as romantic as you'd probably planned, it turned out wonderful. I can't believe they did that. The way the staff hyped it up, you'd think we were becoming part of elite society,"
I raise my eyebrows and purse my lips before tilting my head in a nod of agreement.
"'Dance the night away like royalty, in a fairytale with the love of your choice. Enjoy the outdoors and live music beneath the moonlight,'" she jokingly mocks, chuckling afterward.
"And so much for live music. They gave us a snooty radio DJ with bundles of scratched CDs," I add, both of us knowing that the majority of the attendees feel the same way.
"Still, the night's not over yet," I utter, a light smile on my face.
"Well, not until we get home or made to go to bed anyway," Agatha says half-jokingly, green eyes gleaming that I should know something.
"What?" I ask, not understanding what that look means.
"It's- it's after eleven o'clock," she says, pointing to the digital, neon blue numbers on my dash.
I look down at the clock to see she's right and then at her. After clearing my throat, I say, "Well, we still got forty-five minutes,"
Agatha laughs boisterously at that, gathering herself before she dares to speak again. "Ok. What do you want to do?"
My eyes shift from the road to her before I say, "I want to dance to a song,"
I make a U-turn and drive us to the park. Agatha's smile is so bright she appears to be glowing.
Once parked, I use my speaker-connected phone to find the song I'd requested at the formal but didn't get. Your Arms Feel Like Home by 3 Doors Down.
The moment the low and tender guitar sounds begin, I extend a hand and ask with a hopeful smile, "May I have this dance?"
"Yeah," Agatha breathlessly lets out with a bashful but overjoyed smile.
I lead her onto the walkway, the long path lit dreamily by the previous seasons' iridescent snowflake lights.
The song ends in mere minutes, and we reluctantly rejoin the world we know, our eyes locked on each other.
Ignoring the small crowd of eyes on us, I cup her right cheek and lean in for a kiss, which the love of my life happily returns. There's a commotion of sweet 'aws' and 'oohs' before we part, lowly snickering to ourselves as we head back to my car.
We arrive back home around midnight, having stopped for some cheap but great coffee at a nearby burger joint.
"Oh my gosh," Agatha says from in front of the couch, her voice barely above a whisper.
"What?" I ask, coming up to her side.
I chortle the moment my eyes see the lump limply covering all three of the cushions, one arm and leg hanging off the edge.
"I can't believe he really went to sleep," Agatha says, quietly laughing as she turns toward the stairs and heads up.
"I caaannn," I quietly sing out in a high tune before laying the blanket over papa and leaving the room.
The morning finds Agatha and me asleep in her room, each of us in one of her two beanbag chairs, our individual comforters over us.
I know it's not what most would think, but our date didn't end in a heated makeout session, it concluded with a documentary on the five elements and subsequently the game a good chunk of the world ties to it.
Before we fell asleep, I asked Agatha where she thought Dranzer might be now, and she figures that the phoenix is with Kai, and possibly laying dormant within his property.
When I hear that papa is awake, I step out to chat with him before leaving to visit Kai for breakfast. I spot Agatha coming downstairs as I'm about to leave and kiss her goodbye.
Sitting in the all-white painted cafeteria of the Rehab unit, I munch on the same thing Kai and everyone else around us has: egg drop soup with an energy-packed breakfast bento box on the side.
"How was the dance?"
I look up from my soup at the man across from me, lowering my bowl and chopsticks from my mouth. Registering his question, I say, "Unexpectedly cheap and boring,"
"Ouch. That sucks,"
"Yeah, we left in the middle of it. Went to eat and then home to find papa asleep,"
There's a brief flicker of hurt in Kai's eyes but it's quick to disappear. Eyeing me, he asks, "You've decided to call your uncle Max papa again?"
Going soft, I answer, "Yeah... I know what he is but that doesn't change what I see him as deep down. Does that make sense?"
Kai nods in understanding, "It does. He raised you, so there's a bond,"
A silence passes between us as we both finish off a part of our food.
"What was with calling me 'pop?'" Kai asks once he's swallowed his bite.
"Not that I hadn't been mulling it over, but it just came out. Sorry. That being said… Would you mind if I continued to call you Kai? I know what you are but I can't call you anything else without it feeling… kinda weird. Am I a bad person for doing this?"
Without missing a beat, Kai frankly says with a soft face, "First off, quit apologizing for everything, and no, wanting to call those you love something that makes you comfortable doesn't make you a bad person. Especially if it's what you're used to. I told you to call me what you'd like and I meant it,"
I relax at that, smiling down at the rectangular grey table that's connected to the two others in this row, our butts on one of the six long benches.
We've sat near the back of the room away from the main crowd. I guess we both like our privacy and are picky about who we spend our time around too.
"Thanks. It means a lot," I mutter, too flustered to keep eye contact.
"You need to finish eating,"
At Kai's words, my head pops up and I stuff my face full of the rest of my food.
Kai laughs at my behavior and says, "Slow down unless you want gas later,"
I stop eating, sticky rice on the sides of my mouth. The documentary comes to mind when I look into his eyes and swallow what's in my mouth, my wide eyes never leaving his.
"What?" Kai asks, a brow rising in perplexity.
"Where's Dranzer at?" I ask in one breath.
Kai sits in stunned quiet for a moment, caught off guard by my question. In his defense, I would be too because this did come out of nowhere.
After some serious meditation, Kai at last finds his voice. "Dranzer is…" he tries, stopping to take in and exhale a weighted breath to soothe his rising anxiety.
Steadying himself, he continues, "Dranzer is, in the ground. Laying dormant with your mother,"
Feeling the air sharply leave my lungs, I quakily utter, "Buried… with mom?"
Kai gives me a small, shame-filled nod in response. That's obviously a decision he regrets.
Before any of us can say more, a wheelchair is rolled over to Kai by a nurse and I'm told to go. I can come back in the afternoon and stay for dinner.
Once I get home, I spend most of the morning helping papa in the shop before talking with Agatha about what I learned from Kai.
As suspected, she's shocked and while talking over a slice of pound cake and coffee in the dining room, an idea pops into her head.
"Why don't you ask Makoto's dad to dig it up?" she says, face telling me that she thinks it's a perfect plan.
"You want me to ask a part-time ditch digger to disturb a sixteen-year-old grave?"
"No, just ask for permission," she adds, helping me see that she didn't mean it as horribly as I'd initially thought.
"I'm sorry, what did I just hear?"
The two of us whip our heads towards the kitchen and see papa standing in the archway, a look of displeasure on his ever-aging face.
Neither of us can come up with a lie so we resort to telling him the truth. We then receive a lecture on laws and how it's wrong to defile a grave. That's something we both of course knew but we don't dare interrupt him when he's like this. Papa then ends his speech with something that makes our jaws fall.
"And even if you did somehow manage to get permission to dig you wouldn't find what you're looking for. Why? I have Dranzer in a secure safe next to Draciel,"
"Kai doesn't know that, does he?" I ask calmly, having gone silent for some minutes.
"No. He may have placed Dranzer in there, but I sneakily took the birdie out before they latched the coffin," papa says seriously. His eyes go off to one side and the floor before zeroing in on Agatha who goes rigid.
"Your aunt called. She wants you to call her back,"
After saying a simple ok, Agatha goes to make the call.
Papa walks over to me and gently pushes me out of my seat to follow him, his arm only unwrapping itself from my shoulders after he's delivered me a playful noogie on the way into the shop. He altogether chooses to end my ordeal once he hears me laughing and pleading for him to stop with watery eyes.
As rough as things can be at times, I truly feel as though I am the luckiest man alive.