The next day, as Blaze strolled the grounds alone (Konata and Shiro were, as Sakura described it, hosting a snogging party for two), she noticed Satoshi sneaking out of the Forbidden Forest. He looked all around him, sighing in relief when he felt certain he hadn't been seen. As a result, he shrieked and jumped back, wand out, when Blaze snuck up behind him and grabbed his arm.
"Jesus woman, don't DO that!" Satoshi panted, lowering his wand. Still, a grin was forming on his lips which Blaze didn't hesitate to kiss.
"What were you doing in there? Troublemaker," she scolded in an overly exaggerated motherly voice.
"Oh, I was feeding my illegally imported dragon, DUH." Satoshi rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I was talking to my old man. Well, his spirit. You know about that, right?"
Blaze nodded. "Shiro told me. So, is something wrong…?"
"Nah, I just felt like something was… drawing me there, y'know?"
"Hm, I see. So what'd you talk about?"
Satoshi fell back onto a bench, staring up at the sky; Blaze casually sat beside him. "Just discussed what's to come in the future, with me graduating this year and all… And we were talking about the past a bit." He gave Blaze a look that clearly stated he wanted to tell her something, but a slight frown made it evident he'd decided against it. So instead, he told her, "You know how a billion years ago, you were BFFs with Shiro and Malfoy?"
Blaze made a disgruntled face. "Not clearly, but I know it happened, yeah."
"Well, even as a five year old, love was one of my finer talents. Made me wonder if there was some French mixed in with my Japanese and British. Anyway, I always used to be POSITIVE that when you got all grown up, you and Malfoy would get married. I was dead set on seeing you two be in love."
With her jaw now dropped, Blaze's expression could be out of a horror movie. "What? I could never marry that GIT! I wouldn't even date him, or LOOK at him for that matter!" she insisted a little louder than intended.
Satoshi laughed. "Calm yourself, love. I was FIVE. I stopped believing in your future together 10 years ago. Just thought I'd bring it up, since it was kinda funny, 'cause you two don't even speak anymore." Blaze instinctively thought back to the only time she could remember having a civil conversation with Draco: the Yule Ball. His icy voice had been so smooth, he looked incredibly handsome in his velvet tux, his gloved hands held her almost expertly as they danced… What the bloody hell am I thinking about? she thought with disgust at herself.
When she looked over at her Gryffindor boyfriend, there was something about his features that were strangely out of character. He appeared a great deal more thoughtful, more mature… "Fate sure is a crazy thing, huh? I mean… I almost never met my own parents," he noted in a soft whisper. Blaze's eyes widened a bit behind her glasses.
"Whataya mean?"
Satoshi gave her a slightly apologetic smile with a small shake to his head. "You don't want to hear my parents' back story."
Blaze scooted a little closer to him. "What if I do?"
His smile deepening, Satoshi kissed Blaze on the forehead. "Then listen up. I won't tell you every little detail, but I'll start from a more significant time…"
-18 YEARS EARLIER-
"Okaa-san, listen," called a 21 year old man. Except for his black hair and light skin, it was almost impossible to tell he was Asian. Not only were his eyes much wider, but they were a deep shade of green. His parents used to playfully insist that he was the milk man's son, or that being born in England prevented him from looking Japanese. A much younger Shotaro Ueda walked up to his mother, who was blissfully reading a book by a gentle fire. She peered over her novel to look at her son.
"So I found this house… It's decent in size, and perfectly affordable… It isn't too far away from here, and in a nice little village secluded from Muggles in the mountain region…"
His mother smiled at him. "So you plan on buying it?"
"No, I'm going to ask it out on a date. Yes I'm going to buy it. And I think I'll ask Sandra to move in with me…"
Mrs. Ueda's smile softened. "Ah, I remember when you were in Hogwarts, and you changed girlfriends every week. Now you've found a nice, lovely young Squib who you're so serious about. I'm so proud... I really do like Sandra, too. You two would make simply adorable children together."
A blush burned on Shotaro's cheeks. However, a minuscule smile crept onto his face. "Well, perhaps if she agreed- oh look, it's dear old Otou-san!" Shotaro bounded over to the front door of their little cottage to greet his father. "Guess what, I'm finally moving out! Never thought I'd be that capable and mature, eh?" Completely countering his own words, Shotaro stood up even straighter like a boasting little kid. "And I'm going to ask Sandy to live with me."
Mr. Ueda just blinked at him- he was a quiet man, very unlike his only son. His eyes flickered to the small square window adjacent to the door. "Funny you should mention her… She's standing on our front porch." Sure enough, Shotaro whipped open the door to see his 20 year old girlfriend standing there. Sandra Nichols was a lovely young woman: her light brown hair fell in ringlets down her back, much like Sakura's. She wasn't notably thin nor was she overweight: her size was close to perfect. Her eyes were the most gorgeous shade of ocean blue- the exact same color as Shiro's.
Shotaro's grin faltered and his expression dimmed as he saw that behind Sandra were two very formal-looking adults, wearing expensive clothes and glasses on the rims of their noses. "H-hello, Mr. and Mrs. Nichols… You're looking fabulous today."
"Do not try to smooth talk us," hissed Sandra's mother. Without being invited, she and her very stern husband strode into the house, Sandra timidly following after. Mr. Ueda shot them a look of pure dislike, while his wife gradually got to her feet.
"Sandy, what's going on?" Shotaro whispered in slight distress. Sandra desperately seemed like she wished to respond, but it was as if her mouth was sewn closed. As a result, she just stared at him with pleading, slightly watering eyes.
"Sandra, you tell your boyfriend," Mrs. Nichols said the word with obvious disgust, "what you told your father and I this morning." Sandy took a shaky breath and murmured something under her breath.
"Speak louder," growled her father. Sandra looked up at Shotaro, tears threatening to escape her aqua eyes. "Shotaro, I'm pregnant."
It was completely silent for a few moments- you could probably hear a pin drop. Shotaro's face was completely blank, until it suddenly sprung to life. Utter happiness shined in his features. "Oh Merlin… Sandy, this is… Sandra, this is great! Fantastic!" He stepped forward to hug her, but her father stepped in front of her. To the shock of Sandra and the Uedas, he slapped Shotaro right across the face.
"You disgusting little mudblood… How dare you act like it's so fine and wonderful! Do you not REALIZE what you've done to our daughter? This is all just something to rub in dear Renee's face, isn't it?"
Mouth agape slightly in shock, Shotaro sluggishly turned his head toward his girlfriend's father. "What does Renee have to do with all of this? I broke up with her 4 years ago," he said slowly with an edge of anger.
"You were so used to girls who are giggling idiots that kiss and snuggle and fuss over you like you're a puppy. Our Renee was a sensible girl who was looking for a REAL relationship, so naturally you must hold a grudge against her," growled Sandra's mom.
"Renee has NOTHING to do with Sandra and I, except for the fact that she introduced us. I've changed, and I'm head over heels for Sandy," he insisted sternly.
Mr. Nichols glared daggers at Shotaro. "Head over heels? You just wanted to get her in bed-"
"That's enough, Father!" Clenching her fist so tightly her knuckles were white, Sandra strutted over to her boyfriend and whipped around to face her parents. "I truly am in love with Sho, and I completely believe that he feels the same about me! I don't care what you say, I'm EAGER to have his child."
Mrs. Nichols grabbed her daughter by the wrist, yanking her back toward the door. "I FORBID you from ever seeing this man again. You will put the nasty little beast up for adoption when it's born, and move on with your-"
"Don't you dare call our baby a nasty little beast!" Sandra cried, smacking her mother's hand away and clinging to Shotaro's arm. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols withdrew their wands, but Shotaro's parents did the same.
"You get off of our property right this instant, do you hear me?" Mr. Ueda warned in a low voice. Glowering, Sandra's parents Disapparated on the spot.
Shotaro slowly turned to Sandra, stepping back and placing his hands on her shoulders as if to admire her. "So… Is it true? You're going to have a baby?" he whispered. Mrs. Ueda gave a smile that clearly said "We'll leave you alone," and exited the room with her husband.
"Yes… I think I'm not due for at least 7 more months though," Sandra responded, lightly pressing a hand against her stomach.
"Well that should certainly give us plenty of time to get situated in our new home… That is, if you'd like to move in with me." An affectionate gleam shone across Shotaro's eyes.
"Of course I will, but if you can afford it…"
"Don't worry, I've been saving up for years. Oh, and one more thing..." Shotaro slid his wand out of his pocket. He took the hand that wasn't on Sandra's stomach and pointed his wand at it, giving the stick a little twirl. A golden ring with a translucent, sparkling blue diamond appeared on her finger. "How about we get married?"
"Oh my gosh, Shotaro…" Sandra flung herself at her new fiancé, wrapping her arms around his neck as he draped his hands around her waist. "That would be perfect. But, one condition: YOU'RE the groom, I'M the bride." She grinned into Shotaro's chest as he laughed.
"Darn, I wanted to wear the pretty dress… But alright, anything for my baby's mama." After a light chuckle, the couple shared an amorous kissed and assured one another they loved each other.
And so, Sandra and Shotaro moved into their new home together a mere week afterwards. Immediately, they started planning their wedding, which took place 4 months later on a crisp November day at the foot of Mt. Fuji. It was difficult for Sandra to find a wedding gown, though, with her steadily progressing pregnancy. Nevertheless, everything went perfectly… except that Sandra's parents didn't show up. Shotaro suggested that the distance was too far for them to make it, but it was no use: Sandra was smart enough to know they could easily Apparate the distance.
Then, on March thirty-first of 1978, a healthy baby boy was born to the young couple. They decided that their children would have names starting with S, so Shotaro named him Satoshi. Sandra decided his middle name would be Vincent, after her loving great-grandfather. Not once did Mr. and Mrs. Nichols come to visit their new grandson, but Sandra and Shotaro didn't care: Shotaro's parents and Renee were very doting of their new infant family member.
When Satoshi was just about a month old, Sandra and Shotaro started talking about Mr. Nichols's family's tradition of one child having 6 kids. Shotaro questioned his wife if she would want to carry it on, to which her response was, "Alright, but it would be very nice if you gave a hand and birthed some of them." They laughed and didn't think much of it, until they decided Satoshi needed a little sibling. They wondered if the two boys were enough, until a 4 year old Satoshi asked if he could have a baby sister. Thus, Sakura Renee Ueda came into the world. By then, the couple made it official that 6 children was how many they wanted, and went on to have Sana and the twins.
"Blimey… Quite a story there," Blaze remarked back in the present. "Your grandparents on your mum's side sound awful…"
Satoshi nodded. "Oh, they're horrid. Never once came to any of our birthday parties or spent the holidays with us… They act like they're so saintly for raising Mum despite her being a Squib, yet they saw to it that she appeared very light on the family tapestry. Me, Dad, and my siblings aren't even ON the Nichols's tree, so as not to draw attention to Mum's existence. Dad's grandparents sucked too… They were purebloods- totally obsessed with blood status. Grandma and Grandpa didn't care about that type of stuff, so they were called blood traitors and are really dim on their tapestry. The moment the Uedas received word that Dad married a Squib, he was burned off…" Satoshi explained with a sigh. "It's a crying shame Grandma and Grandpa croaked," he added as an afterthought.
Blaze tilted her head, her brows furrowed in sympathy, and gripped Satoshi's hand. He gave her a feeble smile before leaning down to kiss the side of her mouth. "You better get going… Your next class is soon."
With a nod, Blaze got to her feet. "Right. See you later, Satoshi. Love you."
"Love you too." As Blaze ran off, Satoshi stared after her, once again with an expression stating he wished to tell her something but knew he shouldn't.