A/N

Okay, even I got a little confused on the dates. "The Present" of this story starts on April 2, 2013 with Yuuta's first day of class. From now on I won't be putting on dates for the present; I'll only be specific for flashbacks.

I'm not also familiar with the Japanese semester so I'm not sure what exact date do they start for school. Also, I noticed that for the last chapter I wrote their money in dollars. I'm not familiar with the Japanese Yen and stuff so I'll be using dollars for the money. I hope it wouldn't bother you guys too much to the point that you can't put yourself in a Japanese setting for the story.

I'm sorry if this story has a lot of loopholes, I sorta wrote this on a whim and wasn't able to iron out some of the details, but hopefully all will be fixed as the story progresses.

Our Version of the Past

(The Present)

"Toothbrush?"

"Check."

"Towels?"

"Check."

"Underwear?"

"Check."

"Pajamas?"

"Check."

"T-shirts?"

"Check."

"Pants?"

"Cheeeeeck!" Yuuta exclaimed with alacrity, his hand in the air making a check sign with his pointer finger.

The corners of my mouth curled up as I smiled at my six year old son. He was sitting by the bed—feet tucked underneath—as he examines the contents of the duffel bag lying open beside him. He was so hyper this morning jumping all around the room and wouldn't stop talking about the different types of crops they would plant for their class' overnight fieldtrip. My son who is usually quiet and reserved is finally getting excited about something other than books and superheroes. I closed the drawer that I was holding open after grabbing a pair of socks.

"I think we forgot about these," I held the white socks to him as he eagerly took it and placed it inside the duffel bag. As I stood up from the cabinet my gaze caught the light blue teddy bear lying on top of the dresser. The plushy was sitting upright, its back leaning against the wall with its eternally smiling lips staring back at me. I raised a brow, "You're not bringing Mister Charlie with you?"

He shook his head and gave me a sheepish look. "I don't want my classmates to think that I'm a baby," he said as he looked down.

I sighed and walked towards the dresser lifting the plushy up to cradle its tiny body against my torso. After removing lint on its shoulder I placed the blue bear on his hands and kneeled in front of him. I brought a finger under his chin, angling his head to meet my eyes. "Yuuta, it's okay to be a baby, you're still young," my voice was soft as I traced my thumb on his chin. "Believe me when you get older, sometimes you'll wish that you're still a baby," I offered him a reassuring look and kissed him on the nose.

His eyelids fluttered as he looked down again, lips jutting forward in a pout, "You don't understand, mom. People will laugh at me and say that I'm a girl playing with dollies."

I chuckled. "Honey, nobody's going to laugh at you, and besides Mister Charlie isn't a doll, he's a bear. See?" I tugged at the plushy's ear to make my point clear. "Also, didn't you tell me that you can't sleep without him beside you?"

Yuuta's brow furrowed, "Yeah… but I really think I can sleep without Mister Charlie now." His eyes darted upward to meet mine as he continued, "And I want Katsu-sensei to think that I'm a big boy who's brave and strong like him."

I frowned. Again with the Katsu-sensei. What does this Katsu-sensei have that my son keeps on talking about him?

Katsu-sensei, the gym teacher is Yuuta's new hero. Since coming home from his first day of school the only thing that I can hear from my son's lips is how cool and great this Katsu-sensei is. Every time he talks about him his entire face would light up and he would be grinning so much that you'd think his face will split up into two. I don't really hate the guy, I'm actually happy and relieved that someone is looking out for my boy, it's just that sometimes I'm a bit jealous by how he adores and fawns over his teacher. It makes me feel like he's stealing my son away, which is funny because I know that my son loves me so much. But I can't help it. I'm really possessive when it comes to my son's affection. Aside from my family, he is all that I have and I would die before letting anyone or anything hurt him. However, minus my selfish desire to keep my adorable boy for myself, I am thankful for the teacher's arrival into my son's life. As far as I'm concerned there is a scarcity of male figure in his life. Given my circumstances –a single mother in a foreign land− I've been extremely cautious of letting anyone in. I don't want Yuuta to experience the pain that I've been through with his father so I've been keeping men at arm's length, until Yoshi. I've known Yoshi since we were in middle school. Back then, we were very close. He even introduced me to my all time favorite singer, Umibozu. The two of us always hang out and would spend our time listening and talking about Umibozu. Unfortunately, our friendship was cut short because he had to move to another city due to his parent's work. I met Yoshi again while I was working late for this commercial shoot in Manhattan −he was the director for that project at that time. We didn't exactly hit it off at first because meeting him kinda got awkward, but after working with him for another job we gradually became comfortable with each other. Eventually we started dating each other casually, until last year where we decided to be serious about our relationship. Nonetheless, because of the recent events –my mother being in and out of the hospital− my relationship with Yoshi is still a secret from Yuuta. Yoshi has been asking me about it, but I keep on putting off their meeting for fear that Yuuta might get too attached to him. What if our relationship doesn't work out? He'd be crushed. I don't want that to happen to Yuuta. I don't want him to feel the pain of being abandoned or have this constant doubt, that maybe everything that happened was your fault; that you are the reason why the one person whom you trust and loved most has left. So as a result I kept our relationship a secret from my son. Maybe having this teacher isn't so bad, maybe this is what he needs right now.

"Is Katsu-sensei really that strong?" I poked at his side teasingly as I rise and sat on the bed beside him.

He nodded earnestly, "Uh-huh, He is really strong and kind. Didn't I tell you about how he saved me and Kenta from the bullies?"

"Yes Yuuta, you've already told me about that," I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed, "buuuut… since I know how you like to tell this story, why don't you tell mommy again?" I peered down at him and smiled widely.

He smiled back and began to retell the story of how Katsu-sensei saves the day. His eyes twinkled with joy as he gesticulated with his arms −making the encounter sound like a fairytale from a book.

"He was so fast, mom! The tall boy was about to punch me so I closed my eyes, but BAM!" his fist collided with is palm, "he was suddenly there. And he said, ever heard of the saying to pick on somebody your own size?" His chest rose as he deepened his voice to imitate his teacher.

I frowned again, somehow this Katsu-sensei sounded so much like him.

Yuuta's hair fell to his forehead and I ran my fingers to it as I tucked it behind his ears. I watched my son silently as my mind unwillingly wandered to unbidden thoughts. The more that I look at him, the more that I realize the similarities; his ginger hair, heart shaped face, straight nose and brown expressive eyes. The resemblance was so uncanny that the realization has hit me so hard. My son has become a mini version of his father. Suddenly, everything made sense, why sometimes looking at Yuuta can be both gratifying and painful. Gratifying, because I get to see him grow every day into the wonderful boy that he is and painful because every time I look at him I am reminded by the painful memory of betrayal. I pushed away these thoughts at the back of my mind before the hot tears of anger and regret comes falling down on my cheeks.

"What's wrong, mom?" Small fingers touched my face as his eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Why do you look so sad?"

I cleared my throat and gave him a tight smile, "Nothing. I'm just a bit tired," I raised a hand to my mouth and gave a fake yawn, "and sleepy… Why don't we continue your story tomorrow over breakfast? I'll make chocolate pancakes with strawberries," I looked at him expectantly.

His worrying was all but forgotten at the mention of strawberries. "Okay!"

I smiled and reached over him for the duffel bag. "We better get this packing done then before going to bed."

He gave me a sleepy smile and began to stretch his limbs. I looked outside the window where the stars are shining brightly and sighed. I wonder if time can fade the scars and dull the pain enough for me to talk about his father without any tears or trace of sadness in my heart. I closed my eyes and silently made a wish to the stars above.

The blanket of darkness brought about by the cold night was slowly dissipating into hues of purple, yellow, orange and red. The fingers of the sun crawled upwards giving way to an explosion of warm glow from across the horizon. As the golden disk rose higher and higher into the sky, brightness spilled into the earth as it illuminated the beginnings of a new day. I raised a hand to shield my eyes from the garish light as my eyes adjusted to the vivid colors around me. I took a deep breath and my lungs filled with the crisp air of spring. Without a doubt today was turning out to be a beautiful Monday morning.

My eyes flitted from one child to another as I counted the number of students standing in line for the bus. So far I have counted twenty-one. Only one more missing. I thought to myself as I checked the printed names of students from 1-A.

"Katsu-sensei, aren't we going to leave yet?" One of the students asked exasperatedly.

"I'm afraid we have to wait for another one of your classmates, Chihiro," I smiled apologetically at the girl who was standing in front of the line.

"But all of the classes have already left. We are the only ones in here," she whined again.

"Be patient guys, I'm sure he's already on his way," I explained as I checked my wristwatch for the time. We only have five minutes more before the bus has to go. I looked back at the paper that I'm holding and scanned the list, searching for the student that doesn't have an x mark on. My eyes fell heavily on the name before me.

Yuuta Koizumi.

Koizumi...

Koizumi...

Koizumi...

It was my first day of teaching in Osaka when I heard his name. That name that I haven't heard for so long brought me back my past −a past that I have been trying hard to avoid and forget. After acquiring my license to teach, I packed all of my bags and headed straight to Tokyo for my first job. I started out as a substitute teacher for about a year and because of my perseverance and enthusiasm the Dean took notice of me and was eventually offered the job as the P.E. teacher. I taught in Tokyo for five years before deciding to come back home and teach in the same school where I graduated in middle school. People always asked me why I decided to come back to Osaka after living in Tokyo for so long. I have a job that I love and was living comfortably in the city. Why would I want to go back? This was the question that was always asked of me. My co-workers often made jokes about it claiming that I was rushing back home to an old girlfriend to get married or something. I usually just shrug it off and tell them that it was because I missed my family. But deep down –when I really think about it− it's more than missing my family or the place where I grew up in. I'm decently close with my parents and all, but it's not enough of a reason for me to drop my life in Tokyo and go home. Maybe I'm just lonely. I haven't exactly been active in the love department since I broke up with her. I guess I was cut too deep by our sudden breakup that I wasn't able to really move on. From that day onwards I've never allowed myself to think about her since the day she left me, which is why I was literally out of it when I heard that name in class. I stood there in the middle of the gym class, unresponsive, mouth agape, and eyes wide as saucers. I was silent for about god knows how long, until one of my students tugged at my shirt. I was taken aback by how unprepared I was to hear that name. She was a sore topic for me and I avoided everything that reminded me of her –including our common friends. Over the years I have distanced myself from Nakao and Suzuko –in a way avoiding Nobuko and Chiharu as well. I know it was harsh of me to just cut them off, but remembering her was too painful to bear. I can't let myself ruin the life that I have painstakingly built just because of her −I should move on, no, I must move on. When I regained control of my senses I looked at the boy with new found interest. I observed and searched any hint or any trace of that person on him. My gaze was relentless as I scoured for any resemblance that might make him somewhat related to her. Unfortunately or fortunately, there was none. He did not look like her at all. His hair wasn't auburn but ginger, his eyes didn't have the same golden brown pools, his nose wasn't pinched but straight and he wasn't tall like her –he was, in fact, undeniably short. I cringed at my last observation. Being vertically challenged, I myself have had a fair share of misfortunes with people who weren't understanding and were very judgmental. I know the feeling of having to endure the entire name calling hoopla or the mockery from people who thinks less of you just because of your height. I just hope that this kid wouldn't take these criticisms or insecurities to heart. Well, that's not a problem, cuz I'm here to defend him. I frowned at myself. Somehow, I am strangely protective of this kid. I am good with kids, I enjoy playing with them and talking to them but being with him is different. It's like we have this connection, this invisible bond that draws me to him. Maybe it's just because he has the same surname as her or that maybe because we share the same condition (height-wise). Whatever it is, it makes me want to treasure and defend him from anything that might harm him.

"Ughhh! Can't we just go and leave whoever is not in here?" complained Chihiro as she stomped her feet on the ground.

"Don't be such a brat, Chihiro," scolded the girl standing behind her.

"Whatever Sakura, you're just saying that because you don't want to leave Yuuta behind. We all know that you have a crush on him," teased Chihiro.

Sakura's face reddened, "W-what? I d-don't have a crush on him!"

"Puh-lease, I always catch you looking at him during recess."

"Ooooohh," cooed the rest of the class.

"N-no you don't!"

"Yes, I do!"

"That's enough, girls," I interrupted their bickering as I struggled to hide the chuckle that escaped me. It's so funny how kids these days act so mature for their age.

"Whatever," muttered Chihiro while crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Sensei!" My attention immediately went to the boy who was calling me. "I think Yuuta's already here," the boy with the red rimmed glasses pointed at the direction of a red beetle.

The red car pulled over a few blocks ahead of us, not long after that the door facing us opened and I saw Yuuta step outside. I felt myself smile at the sight of him. He was lifting a duffel bag in his shoulder as he closed the door. After that he waved at the person inside the car and proceeded to run towards the bus. I tried to peer inside the car but since it was tinted the only thing that I could see was the light reflecting from the sun.

When he was close enough Yuuta bowed his head. "I'm so sorry for being late," he said while panting.

"About time. Ow!" Chihiro cried as Sakura elbowed her at the side.

Sakura smiled sweetly at Yuuta, "Nah! It's okay. We weren't waiting that long anyway."

Chihiro rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

I held Yuuta's shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah. It's just my grandma. She was sick again so we had to bring her to the hospital for a checkup," he explained.

"Is she going to be alright?" I asked.

He nodded, "It was just her blood pressure, but the doctor said that she'd be okay just as long as she takes her medicine regularly."

"Is that so?" I smiled then regarded the line of students in front of me. "Okay 1-A, it's time to board the bus! Are you guys ready?"

"Yeeeeees!" shouted the kids in unison.

I feel the corners of my lips tugged upwards as excitement fills me to the brim. I can't wait for the field trip to start. The kids are going to have so much fun. This is a beautiful day indeed. I lifted the list in front of me and wrote an x mark next to Yuuta's name. Just when I was double checking the time my peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the red beetle. I glanced up from my wrist as I watch the car drive slowly away from us.

A/N

Sorry for the long wait. I felt that this chapter was a little bit boring. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I'm a bit busy at work so I wasn't able to proofread this, but since I haven't had any updates for so long I posted this after finishing the last sentence of it.

I hope you guys would like it. Tell me if anything bothers you. Hearing from you guys is an inspiration!