Author's Note: Whew! I finally finished this chapter! There's a poll at the top of my profile page involving this story so please answer it when you can. I think this is when the story gets a little more interesting. Enjoy! :D
Kiku panted. "Oh, how much longer until I reach that place?"
He was running to Hungry Panda because Yao left his stuffed panda at his home with the food that he delivered. Finally, after ten minutes of exhaustion, he came across the building having a sign that had hugely written Chinese characters and a well-drawn panda biting on bamboo.
"So his name's Wang Yao, huh? He's as talented as I am when it comes to art," he said to himself, smiling. "Maybe we should have a contest to see who's truly better!"
He opened the door and looked all around the place.
"Hello? Anyone here? I came here to return something."
Two people, Yao and a middle-aged man, popped up from behind the counter and screamed,
"AIYAAA!"
"WAAAHHH!" Kiku jumped from his spot and fell down on his back.
Yao gasped. "I'm so sorry that Shinatty and I scared you, aru!"
"Why did you scare me like that? I thought I was going to get a heart attack! And who's Shinatty?" He had forgiven Yao but he was a little mad.
"We didn't expect you to come here this early," Yao explained.
"We were planning to scare another customer," Shinatty added.
Shinatty was Yao's neighbor who acted both like a father figure and best friend to Yao ever since he was born. He looked like he was in his 50s and soon moving on to his 60s judging from the amount of gray hair that he grew. He had gotten chubby over the years from being a big eater.
"Who were you actually going to scare?"
"Um, one of my first customers, aru," Yao laughed. "He arrived pretty early while he was still sleepy."
"So we thought we should wake him up completely by scaring him if he visited again around the same time!" Shinatty chuckled.
"Oh, I see," Kiku smiled. "Oh, I was going to say that Yao-kun left something at my house."
He held up the stuffed panda.
Yao let out a sigh of relief. "I was looking everywhere for that, aru! Thank you so much, Kiku-chan!"
The cute Japanese boy blushed. "Please don't call me that! I'm not a little kid anymore! And how do you know my name anyway?"
"Because your dad told me, aru. You should be called Kiku-chan because you look younger than I am."
"How old are you, then?"
"I'll be turning thirteen next year so I'm currently twelve, aru. How about you?"
"I'm only… ten…" he answered hesitantly.
"Ha, I knew it! You're pretty short for your age, aru!" Yao giggled.
"Hey, that wasn't nice! Immediately take back what you just said!" Kiku shot back.
"Alright, but on one condition."
"Which is?"
"If you go with me on my delivery."
"Why?"
"You seem like an interesting kid to talk to especially since you're Japanese. I'd really like to learn more about your culture."
"Same here. In return, would you inform me on Chinese culture?"
"Of course, aru."
"How long will it take to reach your destination?"
"Don't worry, it won't be that far, aru. Approximately ten to fifteen minutes."
"That sounds good. You see, my parents will get worried if I don't arrive home when I should."
"I'll try to be as quick but steady as possible, aru. You can count on your onii-chan!"
"Um, we're not brothers, Yao-kun."
"We kind of act like it."
Yao's mom appeared holding a brown paper bag.
"You can deliver now, Yao," she said. Then, she noticed Kiku who was standing next to him.
"I remember you!" she grinned at him. "You're the boy from yesterday! What's your name, sweetheart?"
Mom never called me that! Yao thought.
"My name is Honda Kiku, ma'am."
"I've heard of the family name Honda before, but I can't remember why…"
"Come on, Kiku-chan! Let's go on our first delivery adventure together!"
"Hai, Yao-kun!" he said cheerfully. "Also, stop calling me Kiku-chan!"
On their way to a Yokohama building that was holding a business party, Yao started a rather interesting conversation.
"Hey, Kiku. What are your parents like?"
"My parents? Well, um, they're definitely not snobby and vain like typical rich people. They're very friendly and welcome towards everyone they meet. Though, my dad can be pretty strict sometimes. My mom is like that too but more easygoing."
"They're rich, huh? How do they make a lot of money?"
"It started with my parents inheriting their money from their parents. I come from a family of famous artists. People from all over Japan visited my grandparents to buy expensive paintings from them. Now, my parents auction them to other rich people annually."
"Wow, that's amazing, aru! I bet you and your parents must very artistic, right?"
"My parents are good artists, but it's not their main hobby. I'm the one who's really into art."
"Oh, I like art, too! For me, there are days where I don't have enough creativity so my drawings aren't that good and days where my drawings make me feel proud and good of myself."
"Hai, that happens to me sometimes. Also, I'm not sure if I should ask you this question because I think it might make you a little uneasy…"
"Don't be afraid to ask it, aru! I'll be happy to answer it," he reassured the worried Kiki with a gentle smile.
"Well, I got to see your mother since she's the chef, right? I was wondering what your dad does for a living…"
Yao had stopped pedaling. A short moment of silence fell between the two boys.
"I knew I shouldn't have asked you that. What was I thinking?" Kiku said with great regret and guilt in his voice.
"No… it's just that… I never had the chance to see my dad. My mom told me how he died right before I was born. It was obvious from her eyes that she was actually lying about his death, meaning that he's still alive somewhere. When someone lies, it's either they don't look at you straight in the eye or their heart beats much faster than it usually does."
"I'm very sorry to hear that, Yao. I really am."
Yao began to tear up a little but tried to mask his sadness by smiling. "I'll be fine. Shinatty is my dad for now, but I want to look for the actual man who brought me into this world. I can't do this on my own, so I need some help. Kikui, would you be willing enough to search for my dad along with Shinatty?"
Kiku's eyes brightened at this offer. "Yes, Yao-kun! I'll do anything to find your dad! Anything!
"Thank you, Kiku," he cried some more. "I knew I could count on you. Sorry for calling you short, aru."
XxXxX
Kiku had been safely brought home. Before Yao pedaled away, Kiku said,
"Yao-kun, the food from your restaurant was amazing! All of my relatives loved it! Thank you for making them very happy!"
An adventure with a Japanese kid had made his day wonderful.
I wonder what we'll do next, he wondered as he laid in his bed.