Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/12449091.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/
      Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      M/M
  Fandom:
      Sensitive_Pornograph
  Relationship:
      Hanasaki_Sono/Yamada_Seiji
  Character:
      Hanasaki_Sono, Yamada_Seiji, Original_Characters, Your_OC
  Additional Tags:
      Angst, MajorAngst, My_Mind_is_so_messed_up_for_writing_this, Old_story
      being_rewritten, Like_more_angst_than_I_originally_thought_of, Child
      Abuse, Suicidal_Thoughts, Seriously_why_did_I_write_this, Unoffical_Back
      story, It_does_get_better_I_promise, Sad_sad_all_kinds_of_sad_things
  Series:
      Part 1 of Sensitive_Doors_to_Open
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-10-22 Updated: 2018-02-05 Chapters: 8/? Words: 55562
****** Life and Trails ******
by FabbuSkull
Summary
     It's perfectly normal to be curious about your loved ones life,
     right? To know about where they came from, what their life was like
     before you met them, their childhood, you know, the basic questions.
     It was all the things Seiji wanted to know about his love, but for
     reasons he couldn't grasp, he couldn't bring himself to ask. His
     solution?
     Go research his name online, of course! And feel like a creeper in
     the process.
     And it's understandable that Sono grew confused and concerned about
     the sudden desire. But once he finally opened up about it, Seiji
     found that his lover was...a bit more complicated than he originally
     imagined.
Notes
     Ohh boy, oh boy, another fan favorite from another dimension!
     Bare with me;
     This series I put a lot of time, energy and love into. I loved this
     manga so much, the OVA was beautiful and one thing I adored about it
     was its open endings, leaving room for a ton of ideas. And I started
     this story because I realized that often times, people who try and
     gain happiness through physical contact or by other means, have gone
     through some trauma in their earlier lives. And Sono was, by far, the
     best character to play around with when it came to coming up with a
     back story.
      
     There's a lot of love in this work and there's a LOAD of promise with
     it, especially with the OC's I've brought forward.
     Don't hurt me; I love you all!
***** Prolouge *****
***
Seiji's POV
 
It's the little things, you know? Little things you notice about someone and
you just sit back and smile at them. 
 
I watched as my lover, Sono, twirl his hair in his index finger, obviously
focused hard on his work, his pencil tapping against his papers. It had only
been several weeks since our argument (if you could even call it that) and it
had felt like ages ago. Like, literal ages ago. It almost seemed as though we
had been together for much, much longer than a mere few weeks. 
 
It felt strange though; I've only had a small handful of relationships in my
life, most of them short and not at all satisfying. Granted, I grew up with
those girls. I knew almost everything about them even before we ended up
dating. Hell, I was friends with some of them and we just kinda jumped the gun
and started 'dating', only to 'break up' about 2 weeks later for whatever
reason. I admitted to myself I wasn't really the dating kind of guy. I wasn't
at all that interesting. 
 
But something about me caught Sono's attention and that alone confused me. I
wasn't going to complain though. I enjoyed his company and I loved him more
than I thought I'd love someone. Even though we couldn't really...do anything
in public together. For very obvious reasons. 
 
Sono had a reputation for being a slut in the manga community and by god, did
that frustrate me to my core. I never saw him like that. He never gave off that
vibe. Not once. 
 
From the moment I first saw him, it was like I was looking at an angel, his
golden hair glowing in the setting sun through the window of the tower I was
taking photos in. I was taken back at first, not sure why such a beautiful man
was talking to me, giving me compliments about my work and how big a fan he
was. But it didn't matter after that. Because I recalled waking up in the
blonds bed, confused, terrified, but satisfied, eager to emotionally please the
man I so...eagerly pleasured the night prior. 
 
I blushed greatly at the memory, hiding my face as I thought back to that
stupid fight we had...I somewhat blamed Yasuda for telling me, but then, he was
just being a friend and informing me of some work gossip that turned sour
quickly. And like an idiot, I yelled at Sono about it without calming down to
ask about why he did what he did....or why he didn't tell me.  
 
I will give him the credit he deserved though. He ran out to follow me and told
me everything. How he was happy when he felt wanted and loved; physical
affection seemed to always make him smile and be content with himself. All I
could do was hold him, tell him it didn't matter anymore and that all I wanted
at that moment was to hold him forever. I had never had this much passion for
one person before and the sex we had that night was so intense, I feel as
though I almost hurt him. He seemed happy as I kissed him through his orgasm,
gripping onto his sheets but his legs strangling my hips...he looked so
satisfied and sated.
 
But the way he said he felt happiness when he felt loved or wanted...that
struck a cord in me that I couldn't shake. What did that even mean? When did
that even start? 
 
It bothered me for a few days, almost to the point of frustration. Even when I
stayed the night at his apartment, watching him sleep, I couldn't help but
wonder why on earth he felt this way. Did that mean he was happy only when I
touched him? No, I doubt that. He seemed happier even before I layed hands on
him, like just me being there was enough for him now. 
 
I know I shouldn't be as concerned with this, but damn, it was eating me alive
just thinking about it. 
 
It had gotten so bad that I looked up what it could possibly mean for someone
to feel happiness when being touched. If anyone would tell me, it was the
internet. And it helped, telling me a few things that I hadn't even thought
about in the first place. The thing was...the more I read, the more concerned I
became. Never had I thought of Sono with these sort of problems. 
The website I was reading told me, in a nutshell, that sometimes, people who
associate themselves with the comforts of others in order to feel a sort of
contentedness and peace were often victims of emotional, mental and physical
abuse, combined with the repressed memory of trauma. 
My eyes widened as they continued to skim over these details. Sono? A victim of
abuse and trauma? Was that even true? He had never mentioned any of this to me
before...I never even thought to ask. 
Gulping down my concerns, I closed that website and sat back in my chair,
running my hands through my hair and shivered. This was deeply worrisome. I
never wanted to imagine Sono in a position where he wasn't able to help
himself. He always seemed so in control and composed...did he really go through
something in his life that caused him to have this fear of being alone?
Was that even his fear? 
I couldn't take this anymore. And I knew I couldn't ask Sono this to his face;
there's no telling how he'd react. I had to figure this out for myself. 
Now the question was how to go about it? I could look up his last name.
Hanasaki wasn't a common family name, at least I didn't think so, so maybe
something would come up. After going back to the search engine, I typed in his
family name and waited for something to catch my eye, scrolling through the
usual links to his manga and interviews and things like that. And that seemed
to be it; page upon page of the same shit. I was getting irritated. 
I had come close to giving up...until one link in particular immediately
captured my interest. I clicked it and watched as the text began to load below
a news header that read, 
'Gun Shooting in back alley leaves city in horror and shock'
At 3:30 pm, April 24th, gunshots were heard in an alley on Main Street,
followed by a distressing 119 call leading to what many dispatchers believe to
be foul play. Hanasaki Sono (YOA 17) and Nazawa Naoki (YOA 18) were discovered
at the scene, the latter suffering a gunshot wound to the hip and chest. The
two were escorted to the nearest emergency room, where Naoki succumbed to his
injuries and passed away at 4:45 pm. According to the statement left by Sono,
he was attacked by two men on his walk home from school. Naoki had intervened,
but was almost gunned down in the process. No suspects were captured at this
time.'
I leaned back once more in my chair, absolutely mind blown. Well...it was no
wonder Sono never told me anything like this. Having to watch anyone get shot
while being protected was traumatizing enough...but still...there had to be
more than just this. This couldn't be the defining moment that messed him up
this way. I grew up with a chief of police; I saw people get shot all the time,
obviously not by choice. And as scary as it was, it wasn't enough to scar me. 
There had to be more to it. Sono doesn't seemed like the kind of person to lose
his cool over something like this...right?
I had to know more. I was in too deep to stop now. Upon reading where the
article was posted, I saw it was published from a city called Fukushima. I knew
exactly where that was. Back spacing to the search engine, I typed the word
'Fukushima' after Hanasaki to see where that got me. 
Oh...it got me plenty. 
From reading for what seemed like hours when I was supposed to be working on my
next volume, I discovered many things I never knew about my lover. 
I found out that he is the youngest son of a prestigious CEO of a huge law firm
called 'T.K.H. Law', to a man named Kenji Hanasaki. His mothers name was
Hanasaki (Nee' Asano) Naomi, a housewife. I also found out he had one sibling,
an older brother named Oto, who worked as a lawyer in Tokyo. 
From there, everything else seemed blocked, like it was purposely blacked out
from the searches, so my online research came to a close here. 
This had finally reached my limit of being silent; I needed to talk to Sono
about this, ask him why hadn't he told me anything, demand to know why he
didn't trust me with this knowledge. 
So many accusations rang in my brain and I didn't know how to outlet them
properly. I printed off the article of the shooting and stuffed it into my bag,
my anger and frustration settling into my loins and it continued to fester even
as I left work that afternoon, making my way towards Sono's apartment. 
But as I turned the corner and saw the light in his kitchen was on, I stopped
walking and mentally slapped myself for what I was thinking of doing. 
There was, more than likely, a damn good reason why Sono wouldn't tell me
anything about this. Why would he? No one wants to talk about seeing one of
their classmates get shot and then die. It was clearly upsetting. But damnit, I
had to know. I don't even remember why it was I was doing this, but after all
this digging, I felt like I needed the answers. 
With that in mind, I walked up to his home and entered with the spare key,
finding him at his work desk, drinking tea with a smile. A surprised smile, but
it was still a beautiful smile. 
"Seiji-kun, what a surprise. I wasn't expecting you until later tonight. Did
you finish work early?"
I couldn't find words at that point. My eyes locked to his, watching them glaze
in confusion. I watched as he stood and walked towards me, that gleam in his
deep brown eyes that I could get lost in. I reached out to caress his cheek,
leaning down to kiss him like I always did, seeing how he leaned up to meet me
halfway. 
That's when I stopped and backed away from him, almost angry at myself for
allowing myself to forget my reason for being here. And it clearly did not go
unnoticed by Sono, who looked perplexed and hurt that I backed away from a
kiss. He remained calm, tilting his head and asked, 
"Is everything alright? You look troubled. Did something happen at work?"
"...Kinda..."
"Well, what is it? How can I help?"
He set his gaze on my bag and then back to me, almost expecting me to answer
with a common work issue. And I sighed, not knowing any other way to do this.
Slowly, I pulled out the article from my bag and with a shaking hand, I handed
it to him. He took it with his free hand, confusion all over his face as he
unfolded it and his eyes scanned it.
The cup he was holding fell out of his hand and crashed to the carpet as his
eyes widened suddenly; I swore I saw him start to stumble a bit. And the way he
paled ever so quickly made me realize right then and there that I had made a
terrible mistake in doing any of this.
With eyes that looked as though they had seen a ghost, he looked at me and
asked, 
"Where did you find this?"
I couldn't help it. The way his eyes widened at me, almost as if he was ready
to break down in an instant... I cracked under his gaze and immediately began
pleading for him not to kill me. 
"Sono-san, I'm so sorry. I...I don't know what happened. I started thinking
about you at work and how you told me about how you used to feel a certain way
when you felt wanted and I felt so angry about that...I did research and found
out that some people that go through that are people who suffer from some kind
of abuse or trauma. And I didn't even think about that possibility so I looked
up your name and found out where you used to live, your family, this article. I
went too far and invaded where I shouldn't have...But I didn't know how to
react to something like this and I felt hurt that you didn't tell me...but I
know why. At least I should have known why. I'm so sorry. Please don't be angry
with me."
He didn't say anything at first...he just continued to look at me, occasionally
looking at the article in his hand and finally, he sighed, turning to sit on
his couch, setting the paper down on the coffee table. I wanted to sit next to
him, hold him in case he needed it, but for now, it looked as though he just
wanted to be...well, be. So I remained rooted in the doorway, waiting for him
to say something, anything. I wasn't used to him being so silent.
He finally looked up at me and said, 
"I'm honestly surprised you found this so fascinating. If you wanted to know,
why didn't you just ask me?"
A blush graced my cheeks as I stammered for a moment, saying, 
"Wh-what? How was I supposed to know how you'd react? I thought you'd be angry
with me."
"Angry? No no, far from that. It's just...something I haven't thought about in
a while. I mean...I didn't have the best childhood ever, but it did help
me...sort of. I went through some things I wouldn't wish on anyone. And I never
really felt the need to tell anyone about it. I was always afraid their
opinions of me would change or be ruined."
Was that a tremble? Did I just see Sono-san tremble? Quick on my feet, I sat
next to him and wrapped my arm around his shoulder, rubbing him softly until he
looked me in the eye, asking, 
"Do you really want to know, Seiij-kun? I mean...I'm no sure why you're so
curious."
"I don't even know, honestly. I read that article and I suddenly became
obsessed. But I also didn't want to pressure you into telling me."
"No, it's fine. I think I might actually need this. These feelings...these
ghosts...I've locked them up for such a long time that maybe telling them to
you can help me get past them. Though, I won't lie, I'm not good with these
things and you might not like what you're going to hear."
This was really happening. Sono was really going to let me in. This was such a
huge step forward for us and I beamed, trying hard to hold it back as he
inhaled, whispering, 
"Please...I don't ask for much from you..all I want is your understanding..."
"You have that and then some, Sono-san. Just talk to me. Help me understand you
better."
He smiled at me and took my hands in his, leaning over to kiss my lips softly,
whispering against my mouth, 
"I was 6 when it first happened..that was when I found out how cruel life
is..how I found out that even terrible things can happen to anyone, especially
children..and I was scared, Seiji...that the first time I actually felt pure
fear..."
TBC
 
***** Chapter 2 *****
Chapter Notes
     If anyone has read this story on FF.net, then you'll probably notice
     some changes that have been done to it. It had to be done to be more
     'modern' I guess. Haha.
     But be aware that writing a 6 year old whose gone through some
     'things' is incredibly hard to do, but I feel the way I have it down
     (wither it's my older version or the newer version) gives it justice.
     At least I think so. Hopefully you all enjoy it too!
26 years ago
 
Sundays in Japan are considered to be full of leisure and relaxation with
friends and family. To that extent, Sundays in Fukushima are equally as
relaxing, especially in the upper class areas. The parks were filled with
people, enjoying the warm weather while it lasted before Autumn made its
appearance.
At one such park, just under a large shrubbery, a child sat on his knees,
looking over the bushes into the small section of the streets, seeing the
people walk in and out of cafes and shops, his brown eyes gliding back and
forth along the road. He had been sitting there for what seemed like an
eternity, pouting to himself as he counted in his head how long it would take
for him to cry out for attention just out of bordem.
He sighed; people watching was so boring at this age, but of course, he was
told to stay where he was at. And of course, it was also that mix of hot with a
cool breeze, so he couldn't tell if he was burning up or shivering cold. Either
way, he was sick of sitting around. 
He grumbled to himself, 
"Ni-san better hurry up. I'm bored..."
Groaning, the boy rubbed the sleepy feeling from his eyes, almost as soon as he
heard yelling from across the street. Eyes snapping open, he watched as a boy
with darker blond hair was sprinting across the streets, all while being chased
by a man with a broom, calling him a thief. But the boy was so fast that the
man couldn't catch up and soon, he turned around and walked back to his store. 
The smaller boy marveled at how fast the boy went and was able to get away from
that man, internally wishing he could run that fast. No sooner as he thought
that, the bush he was hiding in rustled and that dark blond haired boy
appeared, breathing heavily as he sat next to him. The smaller boy grumbled, 
"You're late..."
"Oh shut up...you try to hide all this candy in a small jacket. I told you to
bring your backpack, but nooo. You didn't want to ruin the new one mommy bought
for you. Now I nearly got caught and my pockets are probably coated in
chocolate."
The boy sighed and sat up properly, instantly noticing how the childs eyes
widened at the word 'chocolate'. He sighed and reached into his pockets,
pulling out two bags. One with chocolate and the other with small caramels. 
"Yeah yeah, I know all you want is your stupid chocolate. Here. Don't tell mom
I let you have desserts before dinner. She'll kill us both."
The boy beamed as he took the bag of chocolate, opened it and inhaled the sweet
scent, smiling brightly as he hugged the boy, crying out, 
"Thank you so much, Oto-nisan! They smell so good!"
The boy, Oto, smiled softly and patted the boy on his small back, bringing him
closer and said, 
"Yeah, you're welcome, Sono. Just don't eat them too fast this time. I won't be
held accountable if you get sick. Got it?"
"K!"
And with that, there was utter silence between the two as the child began to
eat his chocolates while Oto opened his bag of caramels, popping one at a time
into his mouth. It was peaceful sort of silence between them as they
occasionally people watched through the bushes, though they were safely hidden
from everyones sight. 
After a while, with a mouth full of chocolate, Sono tapped his brothers leg,
earning his attention and asked, 
"Ni-san, why do you have magazines under your bed?"
The sudden question itself made Oto nearly choke on his candy, not to mention
the blunt tone his brother used when asking. Oto swallowed his caramel and took
a few seconds to catch his breath, turning his head to glare at his brother
with a red flush on his cheeks. 
"You...what...how the heck could you possibly...have you been going into my
room again? Damnit, you brat. I told you time and time again to stop going into
my room when I'm not there! What were you even looking for anyways?!"
"I was trying to see if you had any of my coloring books stashed away from
me...I was bored."
"Why in gods name would I have something so stupid stashed in my room? Did you
ever stop to think mom or dad put your stupid books elsewhere? Oh but of course
big brother is the one hiding them."
"I was only checking..."
"But you do this all the time! Stop going into my room, Sono; I'm sick of
telling you that! And h-how did you find the magazines under my bed!? I hid
those so no one could find them!"
The child tiled his head and popped another chocolate into his mouth, saying, 
"You mean the shelf attached to the bottom of your box spring? Ni-san, that
thing isn't the least bit sneaky. If mom were making your bed, she'd be able to
see it..."
Oto paled instantly and the child giggled, feeling cocky and was ready to pop
another chocolate into his mouth, only for it to be slapped out of his hand,
along with the bag that flung the rest of the candy onto the grass. His brown
eyes widened when he saw his sweets fall to the dirt, but didn't get much time
to think about it as he was suddenly gripped by his brother, looking into dark
eyes behind his glasses. 
"You're a brat and I am almost regretting bringing you out here with me. It's
already been a long week and all I wanted to do was spend time with my friends
on the only day I don't have to worry about my studies... and I have to spend
it babysitting you."
With that, Oto released his brother and stood, stuffing his candy back in his
pockets, running his fingers through his hair and said, 
"Forget it. Let's just get home. I want to be able to beat mom and dad back so
they won't know we left the house to go get candy."
He gathered his belongings and peered around to see if anyone was watching,
nodding to himself when he noticed it was clear. He turned to stare at the boy,
only to see he hadn't moved from his position and his big brown eyes were
leaking with tears. His pale face was scrunched up and red from the effort he
made to not cry so loudly. And Oto quickly caught on to the feeling and
sighed. 
Yes, it had been a long week; entry exams for the middle schools were driving
him crazy, especially as their father kept pushing him to get into the best
secondary school in Fukushima. He had been studying for months and put off time
with his friends just so he could get into the school he wanted. So yes, he was
stressed. 
But he also knew he shouldn't take his frustrations out on his 6 year old
brother. 
Getting back down to his level, he set his hand on the boys shoulder, feeling
him shake and hearing such pathetic sniffles. Oto sighed again and said, 
"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so rude. I'm just tired. I really did want
to just relax on my off day...but I don't mind relaxing with you. Heck, I was
excited at first. And I guess the brunt of the last few weeks just caught up
with me. I'm really sorry, Sono. I didn't mean to snap off at you."
The boy looked up at him, his eyes wet with tears as he mumbled through his
crying, 
"B-But...then why..why did we..come out here?"
God, his baby brother was too cute, even as he cried like this. Oto smiled and
pulled him in for a hug, rubbing the back of his hair the way he liked and
said, 
"My brother wanted candy. And what kind of big brother would I be if I refused
such a cute request...though I guess I ruined it by smacking it out of your
hand, didn't I? That's fine. You can have the rest of my caramels. I was done
with them anyway."
Through his wet eyes, the brown orbs beamed suddenly as he asked, 
"You mean it? Really?!"
"Yup. Just be sure to hide them somewhere in your room as soon as we get home.
If mom or dad find out I stole candy for us, there's no telling what kind of
trouble we'd be in. Now, let's go. I wanna beat them back."
Sono nodded and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, standing up with his brother
and followed him out of the brush, clutching onto his arm as he lead them
slowly out of the park, keeping an eye out for that shopkeep. 
Oto nodded at him, saying, 
"Coast is clear. I think I know a way back to the train station from here where
we don't have to--eek!"
Both boys stopped in their tracks as someone grabbed the back of both their
shirts, lifting them off the grass and they struggled hard, only freezing as
they heard, 
"Christ, you two can't listen for anything, can you? Be glad it's just me and
not Naomi, or worse....Kenji-san. I have half a mind to call him and tell him I
caught his two boys out here after getting an interesting phone call from this
area."
The voice made Oto slowly turn his head to face the man who caught them and
when Sono did the same, both of their faces paled. 
Akikura Henia, their fathers loyal assistant. He had met the two of them enough
times to consider them part of his own family, as their father was a mentor to
him, and as a result, it meant being the boys unofficial babysitter if they
both got into trouble. He was a strong man, though not stacked by any means.
And his cold stone stare dug deep into their eyes as he said, 
"Lucky for you two, I'm in a good mood. I'll drive you home, but the second I
see your mother, she's getting an earful of the conversation I just had with a
Mr. Yoshida of Solid Sweets...you better count your blessings your dad was in a
meeting. Now get in the car, both of you."
Henia released them both before turning to walk to his car, occasionally
looking back to see if the boys were following him. They were and they had
looks of defeat on their faces. The man groaned to himself. He hated being the
bad guy with them; He was like an uncle to them. He was there when both of them
were born. He clearly didn't like having to punish them by ratting them out to
their parents. 
So once they got in the car and Henia began driving down the road to get to
their large house, he looked in the back seat to see Oto staring out the window
while Sono was wiping stray tears from his eyes. He sighed. 
"Listen...I won't tell your mom about today. And I sure as hell won't say
anything to Kenji-san about it. Just so long as you too stay out of trouble.
Last thing I want is for my boss to stress about his kids getting into some bad
situation. Stealing candy is one thing; Don't get too used to getting away with
it that easily. Got it?"
Oto looked at the man through the mirror and smiled at him, nodding while the
boy next to him nodded frantically. Henia smiled back at them, saying, 
"Good, glad we understand each other. With that out of the way, how's school
going, Oto? Did you take your entrance exam yet?"
"..No, not yet. I've been studying like crazy, but dad thinks I'll get in no
problem. I hope so. I wanna be a lawyer and work for him one day, maybe take
over."
"Smart man. Kenji talks about your improved test scores to the office all the
time and I can tell how proud he is of you. I have no doubts you'll get into
that fancy ass middle school, then work your way up to that new high school
they've got for higher grade students.....by the way, Sono. I saw that drawing
you did of the new schools garden in the paper. Very beautiful. One would think
an older artist drew that up."
Sono blushed and twirled his blond hair in his finger, mumbling his thanks. But
Oto smiled and said, with great enthusiasm, 
"Right?! You should have seen those editors faces when mom and dad took that
drawing to them to be published. They were blown away that a 6 year old drew
that! Sono's gotten so good at what he does and he's still in grade school."
"Haha, I gather. Is that what you want to be when you grow up, Sono? An artist?
Get good at it and you'll be famous."
"An artist, sure. But lately, he's been asking for those manga training books.
The ones with the blank pages. I think he secretly wants to be a manga-ka, but
that's just my opinion. He'd be really good at it. I mean, he won that 200¥
prize for that mini comic contest for his school."
 
Henia chuckled and left the conversation at that when he began to notice Sono
seemed...uncomfortable with the praise. He was still so young and to have such
a beautiful talent at his fingertips. It was quite astounding. 
Oto was already showing great promise in becoming a lawyer for his fathers
company and Sono had already shown Fukushima his masterful artistic talents.
They truly were Kenji and Naomi's sons. The thought made him smile as he pulled
into their driveway, the smile dropping instantly as he saw Naomi waiting at
the front door, arms crossed and a scowl on her face. He cringed. 
"Well, it looks as though I can't save you boys here. Try not to make your
momma more angry at you. Best of luck."
The boys nodded and got out of the car, heads down as they walked up the stone
walkway and up towards their clearly angry mother, who said, 
"Oto Hanasaki, where have you been? I come home to a quiet house, rooms empty,
no note, nothing. I thought we told you over 100 times. When you babysit your
brother, you are not to leave this house unless I or your father say it's ok.
God only knows what could've happened."
Oto said nothing at first, looking down at his feet as he kicked a small rock,
brown eyes looking towards his brother, who looked at him through his blond
hair, almost scared. But the boy gulped and said, 
"I was babysitting him, mom. We didn't go very far. We just walked down the
road and we must have taken a wrong turn somewhere. But I called dads office
and asked if he could come pick us up, but Henia said he was in a meeting so he
came to get us."
Naomi's eyes darkened as they narrowed, shifting to her youngest son, who had
been so quiet. Her eyes then locked on something at the top of his lip. 
"Sono, what's on your mouth?"
The boy jumped and looked at this brother with wide eyes, wiping off the
evidence that was so clearly chocolate, but then Oto spoke up again.
"That was my fault, momma. We were fooling around near a ditch waiting for
Henia and I pushed him too hard and he fell into a bush. I didn't realize he
had mud on his face. B-but he's fine, I promise!"
The amount of times Oto was internally praying for a miracle that his mother
would believe him was too large for him to count. His mother was not naive, nor
was she stupid.
Naomi Hanasaki had the eyes of a mother hawk, ready to strike at any given
moment. Nothing got past her, not even outside their home. She had such a
dormant fury that if pushed too far, it'd be like a volcanic eruption unlike
anything the world would see. 
But as he thought about all the scenarios of his mother blowing up on him flew
through his brain, he heard her sigh and say with a stern tone, 
"Oto, when I asked you to babysit Sono today, I didn't mean getting you both
lost and filthy with whatever it was you were doing. Now I can handle you going
out somewhere, but at the very least, leave a note so I don't panic and
immediately assume the worst. Can you promise me that?"
"Yes momma."
She sighed again and wiped her hands on her apron, saying, 
"Good. That settles that at least. I still feel I should punish you though,
Oto. You both seriously could've gotten hurt....You're grounded for the next
two weeks. And the next time I ask you to babysit, you are NOT to leave this
house. Is that clear?"
Oto nodded again and that was the end of that conversation. Naomi shifted moods
almost instantly as she smiled and said, 
"Great. Now, both of you upstairs and get cleaned up. Your fathers getting off
early and I got dinner started. I'm so excited. Hopefully his meeting went
well...what are you two gawking for? Upstairs and in the tub. Chop chop."
Both boys stared up at each other for a moment before running in the house and
removing their shoes, making their way to the stair case, avoiding their
mothers sharp gaze. Oto felt like she knew he had been caught in a lie.
Granted, it wouldn't be the first time either. She certainly had a way to make
him feel like the guilty party without even saying a word. And he knew better.
He knew better than to put his little brother in a terrible position, lie or
not.
The two boys had separated to their own rooms to change and the moment Sono
shut his door, he sighed to himself, pulling out the bag of candy his brother
gave him. A cheeky smile came upon his face as he tossed the bag on his bed and
removed his dirty jacket, tossing it in the hamper. And while the boy was
feeling particularly good about how today had gone, he felt deflated when he
thought about how his brother had once again gotten in trouble for him. Oto was
always taking the blame for him.
He really should have been honest and told his mother about how he was
practically begging his brother to take him out to get some candy. But knowing
Oto, he'd change that story again so the boy would get only a lighter
punishment. Sono was truly spoiled by his older brother and he was thankful for
that. But he didn't want to always be the one getting off free while the other
took all the blame.
But he knew why Oto was like this. It wasn't a secret at all. This was his way
of protecting the boy from any further scares or troubles...like when he was 4.
The chill of being locked in that basement for as long as he was still sent a
shiver up his spine, but he ignored it, calling himself a baby for being so
scared like that. And Oto had apologized nonstop because of it, taking great
care of bending to his baby brothers wants and concerns. It was satisfying,
albeit not all necessary. It was a simple mistake. Any older sibling could have
done it.
Well...not all older siblings can say their father is Kenji Hanasaki, who has
such a short fuse. Oto had gotten such a verbal beat down over his mistake and
being grounded for over 2 months would certainly cause any kid to whip
themselves into shape. It was probably the main reason Oto was so dedicated to
his studies, to his friends and to his family. He didn't want to go through
that scare ever again.
Sono looked at himself in the mirror for a moment, debating on combing his
hair, even knowing his blond locks would never listen to him. His hair was too
wild. He sighed and eventually made his way to his dresser, pulling out new
clothes, looking over at his clock, his brown eyes beaming suddenly.
Mother had said that daddy was getting off early, which meant he'd be home at
5. Which meant dinner would almost be ready around that time. With an excited
jump, he pulled out fresh clothes and ran to his bathroom to change,
immediately forgetting the problems of today. He recalled as they walked in the
house smelling like pork and yakitori sauce...which happened to be one of his
favorite meals. No doubt his mom would have made ginger biscuits to go with it.
Excitement aside, he let out a childish groan and immediately flopped on his
bed after changing and cried out,
"I'm hungry again!" to nobody in particular.
But in a split second, he heard his brother say outside his door,
"Shut up and get down here, brat! I'm hungry too!"
Sono blushed at that, but laughed and flung himself off the bed and to the
door. It was still such a good day, all problems aside....for the most part.
--
Sono kicked at the air as he sat in his chair, staring at the front door,
waiting for his father to come home, ready to pounce. He occasionally sipped at
his juice while Oto ate some biscuits, Naomi drinking her wine. It was a
comforting silence, but the 6 year old was getting ansy. 
Turning to his mother, he asked, 
"Mommy, when's daddy going to be home? You said 5 and it's 5:03."
Naomi chuckled and set her glass down, reaching over to ruffle her sons wild
yellow hair, which he inherited from her. 
"Calm down, little monkey. I said he's getting off early...which I know means
5. Haha, but he'll be home soon. 5 pm traffic is terrible anywhere in the
world."
Sono sighed impatiently, but Oto chuckled and said, 
"Yeah, I hear in America, it's terrible. Like New York apparently has constant
traffic, but in the late afternoon, it's hell to get through."
"True that. Kenji and Henia mentioned it a lot when they came back from
America, saying they HATED sitting in taxis in the afternoon. Apparently,
that's why not a lot of people in the states have their drivers licenses. Makes
travel in their neighborhoods easier....oh and watch your mouth, Oto. Don't
want another week stacked ontop, do we?"
The younger boy snickered at his brother, who kicked him lightly under the
table as he drank his water. Naomi smiled and took a nibble of her own biscuit,
eyes shifting to the dining room window as she saw headlights peering through,
catching both her boys attention. Mostly Sonos though.
He bolted from his chair, crying out, 
"Dad's home!"
And with that, he ran from the table and out the front door, throwing himself
into the mans arms just as he got out of the car, wrapping his small arms
around the mans neck. His heart rang as he felt his fathers arms wrap around
his tiny body, hugging him tightly, saying, 
"Ease up on your grip, kiddo. I'd like to eat dinner before you suffocate me
with your attention."
The boy gave a toothy grin and asked his father how work was, to which Kenji
smiled and carried the boy inside, sitting him back in his chair and walked
over to kiss his wife hello, greeting Oto with a hug and a kiss to the head
before sitting down, untying his tie and finally, he looked at Sono, who was
smiling at him and he smiled back. 
"Work was great. But I'm glad it's over. And before you ask, Naomi, the meeting
went well. But we won't hear back until next week."
"Seriously? Ugh, you take too long with these things. You're too nice to these
men, Kenji. You're a hardass, so start acting like a hardass."
He laughed and poured himself some wine while his sons began eating their food.
And the remainder of their night was left in comforting jokes and snarky humor,
just the way he liked to end his work days. 
He'd ask the family about their day and Naomi would talk about her trips
shopping with her friends, alongside great deals she found in the grocery
store, laughing about how she got excited that milk had gone down in price. The
boys would talk about how they watched tv most of the day before Naomi butted
in with Oto's grounding for sneaking away without saying anything. Kenji
laughed at that, telling them it was alright and just to be careful if they
left the house.
They nodded and the family went back to eating in blissful silence.
After dinner, they found themselves in the lounge watching tv, with Sono
planted on his lap like always, talking excitedly about a new drawing idea he
had or how he saw a new manga training book he wanted to try and get. Kenji
smiled and kissed the boys head, telling him to just relax and no doubt he'd
buy it later to surprise him. Oto had mentioned how his studies were going well
and how excited he was to take the exams, to which Kenji smiled brightly,
praising his older sons hard work. Naomi had then shown up with after dinner
treats, little daifuku she had picked up at the store with some chocolate tea
and sugar cookies. This was how they usually always ended their nights as a
family, especially after a great day like today. And per usual, at around 8:45,
Kenji and Naomi would take their boys upstairs to get them in bed, wishing them
sweet dreams before retiring for the night. A simple evening, but it was
perfect. The only other reason Kenji savored these moments was mainly because
he dreaded taking the boys to school the next day. Not for any other concern
other than he was always expecting a call regarding Oto's unintentional
pretentious attitude regarding his quick advancements in school....or a call
regarding Sono's inability to socialize with the other kids. He knew his kids
were precious to him; he wouldn't allow anyone to talk down about them in some
way. But he also knew they were...not the best when interacting with most
people. Sono especially. Even when he was in day care, he flat out refused to
play with the other kids, opting instead to be by himself. And while other
teachers had suggested moving him to other schools or classrooms, Kenji and
Naomi didn't see much of a concern. Their son was just different. That wasn't a
bad thing, was it?
--
The bell for the end of the school day finally went off and the kids bolted out
the door, heading for the jungle gym, waiting for their rides.
Sono, however, walked to his favorite tree with his sketchbook, sat under the
leaves and let out a loud exhale. The autumn air was crisp and cozy. Perfect
drawing outdoors weather. He opened his sketchbook, looked around the
playground, instantly feeling the other kids looking at him and scowling,
murmuring to themselves about him...nothing out of the ordinary.
School was always a boring, if not more obnoxious, experience for Sono. Not
because he didn't know the material, far from it. He could easily surpass any
of the other kids in his class, even for as young as he was. No, the academics
were not what he was bored of during school. 
It was the fact that he didn't really like to socialize with anyone, in or out
of class. During art projects, when it was insisted that the children work in
groups, Sono would be by himself, working quietly in the corner, working faster
than the other groups. He wouldn't really speak to the other students unless he
had to and he wouldn't make much effort to play with them at recess. 
He'd simply seclude himself under his tree and pull out his sketchbook, drawing
whatever interested him at the time or whatever was tumbling in his brain
during class. It was quiet and it was peaceful time just for him. It didn't
bother him much...or it wouldn't had it not been for the words the other kids
would call him behind his back...or to his face. He wasn't a stranger to
either.
It was not unknown who Sono Hansaki was. The child of the most wealthiest man
in Fukushima, Japan. His older brother had already skipped a grade and was
already preparing to take the middle school entrance exams. To top off that the
child was not the most talkative person in his grade school, it was not
surprising that the other kids had taken to calling him a snob. 
It certainly didn't help when he would mouth off to them a few times just for
bothering him when he worked.
But at 6 years old, he didn't care about them. He just wanted to draw. And
that's what he was gonna do. The words didn't bother him that much. Yeah, the
sort of hurt his childish heart, but he was taught to not care about what
others thought about him. A lesson his father taught him often. 
Today, however, felt different than before. And that didn't necessarily mean a
bad feeling. 
It had started when the teacher introduced a new kid to the class, not that
Sono had payed attention. He heard the kids clamoring on and on about the new
kid, but nothing really drew his attention from the book he was
reading...rather the manga he was reading.
Sono had noticed the new kid was sitting a few seats away from him, giving him
a good look when he felt the want to. He didn't really catch his name or
anything like that, but all he could make out was the fact that his hair was as
black as the night sky and his skin was super pale. But he had an interesting
aura to him, like he was different from the others; though Sono couldn't tell
why.
By the last activity of the day, the boy had forgotten about the new kid and
went back to what he was doing. And he couldn't help but feel like the kid
would stare at him every so often. Though, when he looked up at him, he saw the
kid talking to the others. It was his imagination going crazy it seemed.
So, at end of the school day, he sat under his tree and began to draw the swing
set the other kids were playing on, ignoring some of their stares. He was deep
into his art, not really focusing on anything else. 
Though, at some point, he did feel the presence of someone walking up to him,
most likely a teacher, so he was quick to push the feeling aside as he finished
the primary sketch. That was when he heard someone with a loud, yet soft voice,
say, 
"That looks awesome! I didn't know anyone here could draw this good."
The suddenness of it made Sono gasp and jump, his pencil trailing all in the
wrong direction, effectively ruining his work. His face paled; he had never had
something like this happen to him before and he felt a feeling he hadn't felt
before.
He actually felt frustrated. 
He snapped his head around with the intent of growling loudly and yelling at
the person who made him mess up his drawing, like he did so often. But once he
turned, his face regained color and his brown eyes widened suddenly. 
He was staring at the new kid from his class and was now given a fuller picture
of who he was...well, kind of. 
He was dressed in a red and black shirt and jacket combo with dark grey pants.
It complimented his black hair and pale skin perfectly....not to mention his
eyes. 
This boy had to have had the most bluest eyes Sono had ever seen. It was like
they were crystals mixed with sapphire...they were actually beautiful. And for
someone who had such an artistic sense at such a young age, Sono was known to
see beauty. 
The boy smiled at him and patted his head, saying, 
"Sorry if I scared you. You looked like you needed someone to play with. All
these others kids are fun and all, but I saw you sitting here all by yourself.
And they all told me you were some snob but you don't give off that vibe. You
seem kinda lonely. I was gonna play with those kids other there, but I'm bored
with them anyway."
The boy sat down next to him, opening up a bag he had pulled from his pocket.
Sono blushed a little and looked away, noticing how the other kids were once
again staring at him. He inwardly groaned. Being the loner was easy. Having
someone suddenly come up and talk to you when you were used to being alone? It
was weird, he wasn't used to it.
Peering over, he noticed the boy had taken out a bag of candy, looking like
bits of chocolate....dark chocolate. His eyes gleamed a little; chocolate was
always his weakness. The boy smiled and pulled out a piece, handing it to him,
saying,
"I figured you'd be a chocolate kind of kid. My dad loves this stuff and I
kinda like it too....glad you enjoyed that."
Sono swallowed slowly, blush still plastered on his face and he chuckled,
saying,
"Th-thanks.."
"Not a problem. I know a lot of kids our age don't like dark chocolate cause
it's kinda bitter, but personally, it's better than milk chocolate. Too sweet
for my taste."
"I feel the same. My brother likes caramel more than chocolate and I make fun
of him a lot...glad to know there's someone else to has my taste."
The new kid laughed and ruffled the blond hair wildly, making Sono laugh
himself. Well, this was something else. Sono never felt this kind of
interaction before with anyone aside from his family. And he had to admit...it
was very nice to talk to someone his own age. After calming his laughter for a
moment, he wiped his eyes and asked,
"So..haha...so um...you're new here...when did you move to this district?"
"Well, after my parents got divorced, my dad thought it would be best if I was
home schooled for a little while. Then it just got dull and he put me in this
school. I've actually been coming here for a few days and everyone has been
very nice. But they moved me to another class when I couldn't get along with
the teacher. Honestly, your class is much more fun and easy to deal with."
"That's nice to hear. Yeah, my class is a bunch of smart kids I guess. But I'm
glad you like it here....what did you mean when you said the other kids bored
you?"
"Not so much bored me as they seemed like they try to hard. Do they always try
to schmooze up to the new kids?"
Sono laughed again and wiped his eyes, absolutely loving the way the kid asked
that question. He wasn't wrong though. This class was known to kiss up to the
new kids all the time. So when the kid watched as he laughed, he smiled and
said,
"Guess that's the truth, huh. Good to know. Now I know who to avoid in the
future. You seem easier to talk to anyway. Which reminds me, how come you're
sitting here by yourself? I heard from the others you were kind of a snob, but
you seem too shy. Are they bullying you?"
"What? Oh no, nothing like that. Honestly, I'm more surprised that I'm not
bullied by them. They all leave me alone to do my own thing and they just talk
about me either to my face or behind my back...I guess that's bullying, but I'm
not bothered by it. I mean, the question kinda answers itself. They call me
weird and a snob because I like being by myself rather than play with the
others. Not that it matters. If I ever ask to play, they give me mean looks and
tell me no. It's a weird cycle. Haha. But I'm not worried."
The look the kid was giving him made Sono feel much better about the
conversation he was having. In a matter of minutes just chatting with him, he
felt as though he had accomplished something he'd never thought about.
"Oh! That's right, I was also gonna ask if you wanted to play on the slides for
a bit. Just before your ride gets here."
Sono said nothing at that, but averted his eyes, suddenly feeling his skin
crawl with nerves. No one had ever asked him to play with them ever, at least
not with such enthusiasm. It was such a weird feeling to be asked. He clutched
his sketchbook tighter against his chest, eventually looking back up to the
kids eyes. 
Well...he seemed nice. And he did say he didn't notice a snobby vibe off him.
Maybe Sono could change up his routine just this once. He set his book in his
bag and settled it against his back as he stood, nodding. 
The boy beamed at him and took his hand, which Sono noticed was incredibly
soft, as he was dragged to the slides. 
And while the rest of their time was...awkward...Sono actually had fun with
this boy. They played through the rest of recess, talking and telling jokes,
interacting on a level the blond didn't even know he knew. 
Finally, as a string of cars started pulling up to the school, alongside some
buses and students began piling out to the pick up area, Sono caught sight of
his fathers car and gathered his things while walking and talking more with the
boy. He was really sweet, a great person to talk to. He was also...someone that
he felt easier around. Like he finally found a reason to be happy to come to
school. The boy patted his head and asked with a toothy grin,
"Hey, do you wanna be part of my group tomorrow? I don't know very many people
here and I had fun playing with you today. Sorry if I came off as weird by the
way. I don't know how to make friends so I sorta need to be forward."
Sono smiled at him. Maybe he had more in common with this boy than he thought.
"It's ok. I'm the same way. Just not with being forward. Haha, I'm actually the
opposite. I'm no good at talking to people so friends are not my strong suit.
But yeah, I'll be in your group tomorrow. You seem great. Oh, I never did get
your name."
The kids blue eyes narrowed a little in confusion.
"They introduced me in class today, though."
Sono laughed and scratched the back of his head, a faint pink tint on his
cheeks. God, would he ever stop blushing.
"Yeah, I didn't pay much attention. I'm sorry. I don't focus on people a whole
lot. I'm weird, I know."
The boy laughed at that and Sono found it to be such a comforting sound. His
brown eyes started to glow. Did he actually do it? Was he actually getting
along with someone other than his own family? His laugh was so sweet sounding.
His voice caught up faster than his head did as he said,
"My names Sono. Hanasaki Sono. It's nice to meet you."
The boy smiled at him, taking his hand and said, 
"Mizuno Takeo. And it's nice to meet you too. I'll see you tomorrow, Sono."
"Yeah! I'll see you tomorrow, Takeo."
Sono left with a toothy grin of his own as he piled into his dads car and waved
as he was driven off. As he settled in the back seat, he heard Kenji ask, 
"Well well, someones in a good mood. Who was that kid you were talking to,
honey?"
The blond looked at his father for a moment, not wanting to sound so forward
and too overly enthusiastic....oh he didn't care. He was thrilled to his little
core. 
"That was Takeo, daddy. He's my new friend I made today. He's new at our
school."
"A new friend? Good for you, Sono. I was starting to wonder when you'd start
making some friends at school. We'll have to have him over sometime. I know
your mother will be happy to hear that. And I have to say, I knew today was
going to be a good day when I didn't get a call from your teacher again."
"She didn't call you today? Well then, I must be getting better at hiding my
attitude lately. I think that calls for some ice cream, right dad?"
"Don't push it, kiddo. Haha. Naomi would shoot me if I gave you dessert before
dinner. Oh, but I do have a surprise for you. It's in the back seat
compartment."
All the gears in Sonos head began to turn rapidly as he opened the compartment
and pulled out what was obviously a wrapped book. Thinking it was another manga
for him to look over, he tore open the wrapping paper and was thrown for a loop
when he saw that it was not at all a manga...but a manga training booklet. The
very one he was telling his father about last night. His brown eyes trailed to
his fathers eyes staring at him through the rear view mirror and a laugh left
the mans throat.
"I take it you like it."
Kenji was not given an immediate response, but chuckled when his sons arms
wrapped around the seat to hug him tightly, loudly proclaiming his thanks and a
kiss to the cheek. Once at a stop light, Kenji turned to give his son a kiss
back on his head, calmly telling him to sit back down and to say 'you're
welcome.' Naomi was right. He did spoil Sono a bit too much.
"I figure since you already take all your brothers manga to compare art styles,
don't think I didn't hear Oto complaining you were making notes in his books,
this was a better step forward. Your art style is getting much better and I
know how much you want to learn about manga illustration."
"Daddy, you're the best! I thought I'd have to wait for Christmas like last
year! I can't wait to get started! I already have so many ideas! Oh, can we
stop at the store to pick up pencils?"
Kenji said nothing, but reached into his glove box to pull out a brand new box
of pencils and pens, much to his youngest sons absolute joy. A smug look came
over Sonos face as he settled back into his seat and said,
"You know me so well."
"Well, considering I'm the one who bought you your first set of manga booklets,
I'd say I know what you want when you get new material. Haha. I know you're
excited, honey. But remember that homework comes before this. Alright? Your
grades are looking fantastic and I don't want you to slip because of this. And
if you finish this year with all A's, I'll take you to that new store they
opened downtown. You know....the one that all the best Manga-Ka in Fukushima
shop at?"
Joy was not the word Kenji needed to describe the look on his childs face. His
wide brown eyes glistened and he held back a squeal as he hugged the new book
to his chest. Kenji laughed to himself and turned his focus back to the highway
while Sono set the new book next to him for a moment, unable to wipe the smile
from his face.
He kept smiling as he stared out the window, looking at the passing city over
the highway, already excited for tonight after he finished his homework. He'd
finish quick, probably with Otos help again and bolt to his room to start
working until dinner. Then he'd be too excited to go bed and be ready for
school the next day. He was already too excited to see Takeo again. That struck
a cord in his head too.
He actually made a friend today. Mizuno Takeo....Mizuno Takeo....Sono smiled
bigger. 
He found he liked the sound of the word friend. He could get used to it. With
his smile still intact, he pulled out his sketch pad and his smile sadly faded
after seeing how Takeo had unintentionally ruined his drawing. With a scowl, he
ripped the paper out of the book, crushed it and stuffed it in his bag. 
After a few minutes of silence, Sono called out,
"Hey, dad?"
"Yeah?"
"What if I get mostly A's and B's this year? Can we still go to the new store
then?"
"I'll think about it. I'd like you to actually try and get better grades this
year, Sono. I tell Oto the same thing, but I feel like he knows better now that
he's almost ready to take the entrance test for that new middle school. I'm not
saying you should shoot for that, though. God knows the last thing you want is
to be a lawyer or a CEO. I'm just saying I'd like you to have a great education
so that when you do graduate, all you'll have time for is your art. You know
that."
"I know, daddy. I'll do my best. I promise."
"Good."
Sono smiled and sat back against the window, seeing how they were about to exit
off the highway to pick up Oto at the other school. With another smug look on
his face as they were pulling up to the large prep school, the child asked,
"Hey dad, what if I managed one C? Am I still good then?"
Kenji couldn't help but laugh softly at that, pinching the bridge of his nose
and sigh deeply, laced with a soft chuckle.
"Sono, shut up."
TBC
***** Chapter 3 *****
"Mother?"
....
"You're alive?"
"Too bad you....will DIE."
 
ACHOO!
A loud groan followed the sneeze as Sono ripped a tissue from the box and held
it against his nose, blowing and throwing it in a nearby trash can, scowling at
the tv.
This stupid cold had to have been a curse from wherever bad things come from.
Because it had effectively distracted him from so many others things he could
be doing. Like...like working in his manga books or outside playing with
Takeo...
Granted, the latter was the reason he got sick in the first place. He and Takeo
had been playing in the snow outside the other boys house for hours, sliding on
the frozen river and even layed on it to stare at the falling snow. They talked
about their favorite things, their favorite pastimes, things they wanted to do
in middle school, high school, when they finally grew up. They talked about
things Sono never thought to talk about with anyone else his own age. Takeo was
the best thing that happened to him and it had only been 2 months since they
first met.
In hindsight, it wasn't the best idea to be laying on a frozen river though.
When Takeo's father started calling them inside, they slid towards the front of
the canal where they started and from their combined weight on thin ice, it
cracked underneath and both boys went under water in seconds. Takeo was quick
to get out, but panicked when he couldn't get to his friend. Luckily, Takeo's
father had much past experience with these situations and jumped in after him,
pulling him out in no less than a minute. Takeo held his friend tightly as the
man ushered them inside, calling Sono's parents to come pick him up after
instructing his son to get him out of the wet clothes and into a warm shower
immediately.
The blond couldn't recall a time he saw his father so worried as he pulled up
to the house, demanding answers as to what happened. Takeo's father could only
explain so much before Kenji nearly had a massive explosion. Luckily, he seemed
to be calm as he gathered his son in the warm car, thanking the other man for
saving his son and told Takeo to call the house tomorrow if he wanted, giving
the young boy their home number. 
It wasn't even a minute when they returned home that Kenji got his son into a
hot bath and scolded him about the dangers of rivers, even they were frozen.
And how he shouldn't be so careless of all things. But his lecture fell short
when he saw his son in tears, shivering in the bathtub and apologizing
constantly. The man hugged him tightly, kissing his hair and said it was ok,
that he wasn't mad. It helped the boy calm down a bit more...until he started
sneezing. 
Hence how he got here. His fever had spiked the night before and so he had to
miss school, which meant he had to miss hanging out with his friend. And he
felt bored. Sick and bored with everything going on. 
He hated being bored. 
Another sneeze ripped through him and he let out a loud whimper at the headache
it left, even as he heard his mother walk into the room with a thermometer and
another heavy blanket. 
"You feeling any better, honey?"
He shook his head and she clicked her tongue, taking his small chin in her
hand, making her look at him as she put the thermometer under his tongue. She
mentioned for him to not move as she gathered the blanket he was using and
walked back to the laundry room. He groaned and pressed a hand to his head,
moaning at the pressure in his skull. He didn't even hear her come back as he
felt the stupid thing in his mouth being pulled out and he heard her sigh. 
"Still 102. Jesus, what were you thinking? Playing on that river when it wasn't
even frozen solid. You could have seriously gotten hurt, Sono."
"I know...I'm sorry, mommy. But...doesn't me being sick count as punishment
enough for being so careless?"
She rolled her eyes and couldn't help but laugh at his wit that he so clearly
got from her. Especially when he batted those cute brown eyes. 
"No, it doesn't. But since you didn't get hurt and you're clearly still
breathing, I'll take it. Here, I brought you that blanket from your dads office
you wanted."
She wrapped the large blue blanket over her sons small body and he smiled at
the warm wool, wrapping the rest of him in it so only the top of his head was
showing. Naomi laughed again and pulled it down so she could see his face. And
she saw him smirk at her. 
"Ha ha, very smart, young man. Don't think you can just hide from me. I came to
see if you were hungry at all...or are you still having problems keeping food
down?"
"No, I'm fine now. It's just the sneezing and the coughing and this stupid
headache left. I ate all those crackers earlier and I kept them down fine. But
I'm not hungry right now. I can wait for dinner. You're making stew, aren't
you?"
"Yeah, I just need to finish chopping the veggies for it. I'm half tempted to
say screw it and make you eat a whole carrot, you monkey. Buuuut that wouldn't
help much, now would it? Haha. I have a few more things I have to do before I
can jump back into that. Your dad and Oto should be home soon anyway."
Naomi then got off the couch, but a small hand grabbed her wrist and she
heard, 
"Can you stay a bit longer, momma? I'm...kinda lonesome on the couch."
There were those batting of the eyes again and she chuckled, unable to say no.
Not when her baby was being so damn cute. So she wrapped her child up in the
warm blanket and settled him on her lap, his head against her chest, her soft
hand in his hair. 
"Better?"
"Better."
Naomi smiled sweetly and kissed her sons head, rocking him back and forth like
he was a baby again, eyes fixing to the screen and she couldn't help but force
a laugh. 
"What the heck are you watching here?"
"I don't know, some weird movie. I think...it's a martial arts movie. Kinda
cheesy acting."
"Haha, with those effects, I don't doubt it. It looks ridiculous." 
The boy laughed and moved on his mothers lap so he could watch the movie,
though he wasn't all that interested in it anymore. His mother seemed to read
his mind as she grabbed the remote and started flipping channels before
stopping on a talk show she liked to watch. 
Sono grimaced to himself; his mother watched some weird things on her own time.
But it was much better than whatever it was he was watching before. His eyes
scanned to the clock and saw that it was almost 3, which meant Oto and Kenji
would be home soon. He smiled. Maybe while his mom and dad were working on
dinner, Oto could snuggle with him to keep him warm...not that the blanket
wasn't doing a good job of it already. 
Naomi continued to rub her sons stomach through the heavy blanket, eyes nearly
fixated on the tv. It was a talk show she loved to watch while folding laundry
and today's discussion was about men and how they should help with the
housework. The audience, clearly all housewives or wives in general, were
agreeing and cheering. This prompted a question from her lap, 
"Mom? Does dad help you with chores like Oto and me or do you force him to
help?"
"Haha, sometimes mommy has to force him to help out around the house. But with
his job being so busy and keeping him so occupied, sometimes I feel bad asking
him to help out. I give you boys a chore list on the weekends for your own
rooms, so that's just another notch I don't have to worry myself with. Then
again, you boys keep your rooms so clean I feel dumb just giving you a chore
list. Haha...but with your dad, I let him sort of jump in when he feels he
needs to help."
She rubbed her sons yellow hair and smiled down at him. 
"Besides, daddy has his own things to worry about besides housework. That's
mommy's job...90% of the time. That last 10 I'll just guilt trip him into doing
later. Marriage is a weird thing, Sono, but we keep it entertaining."
The 6 year old, clearly not listening to the rest of that, only nodded and
settled his head back against her chest, watching the tv show with her. 
Around 15 minutes later, the front door opened and Kenji and Oto piled in,
shaking the snow off their hair and jackets, saying their 'Tadaima' and setting
their coats on the hangers. Oto was quick to flop on the couch next to his
mother, who gracefully plopped his brother in his lap as she stood to greet her
husband with a kiss. He kissed back, smiling, saying, 
"It is freezing outside. Damn, when Oto got in the car, he cranked my heater
full blast. I thought we were gonna melt in the car all the way here."
From the lounge, Oto called out, 
"It was like 10 degrees in my class! Our heater died and we spent the rest of
the day bundled in our jackets."
"Hopefully they get that fixed. Otherwise, Oto, you'll be on that couch with
your brother, sick as a dog."
Oto stuck his tongue playfully at his mother, who laughed and went back to
talking with her husband. Meanwhile, Oto wrapped his arms around his brother,
who smiled a toothy smile at him, nuzzling his chest. 
"How was school, ni-san?"
"Boring and it felt like an igloo. They postponed the rest of the exams until
the heater gets fixed. Thank god, too. Last thing I want is to be accepted and
then miss orientation because I became a snow man. But enough about that. How
are you feeling?"
Sono smiled brighter and moved so his hands were free, placing one against his
head, immediately regretting it. He got slightly dizzy and Oto chuckled,
replacing his hand and said, 
"You still feel warm. Has your fever gone down at all?"
"Momma says it's still the same, so I'm guessing that's better than it going
up. I'm not puking anymore so that's something too."
"That's good. Miyuki was asking about you today."
The sound of the girls name made Sono suddenly burst with energy as he sat up
straight in his brothers lap, a wide smile on her face. 
"She's back already? I thought she was gonna be in Florencess for another
year?"
"That's Florence, you nit. And yeah, I thought so too. But her parents finished
early and they came back two days ago. She looked so excited to be home too.
She missed us a lot. Especially her little Giardino....god I hope I said that
right. She'd kill me if I botched that."
Sono smiled again and settled back against his brother, internally beaming. 
Miyuki was a dear friend of his brothers, someone he had known since he was
really little. Oto and Miyuki met in primary school and became fast friends
almost instantly through their love of old movies and she especially came to
love Sono through their shared love of art. She and her family spent a lot of
time traveling from Japan to Italy because of her fathers work as a
troubleshooter for major Italian businesses, so she became fluent in the
language quickly, often teaching Oto a few words so he could have fun little
prank conversations with his own family. 
And it was also no secret that Oto had a...not so small crush on the girl
either. He would get depressed just before she left and instantly thrilled when
he saw her after her return, talking nonstop about her in between. Kenji would
make jokes about the two of them getting together once they hit high school,
but Naomi was betting it'd be earlier, middle school even. 
Sono loved the girl as a sister; she was always so peppy and cheerful, always
coming by with a smile and most times, when she came home from Italy, she'd
bring him little replicas of famous Italian art pieces for his room or his
notepads. One of his all time favorites was a small copy of the famous Madonna
and Child. So to hear that she was home early made him ecstatic. 
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Naomi was washing the carrots under the sink while
Kenji was dicing the potatoes, noticing how his wife was humming to herself.
Turning his head, he asked with a smile, 
"Good day, I'd wager?"
"Hm? Oh yes. Not a lot to do considering I had a sick child to watch over, but
he was very easy. Haha. You know how Sono gets when he's sick. Doesn't want
anyone touching him unless he REALLY wants something. He's so much like you,
it's crazy."
"No no no. He's more like you, with your quick wit and smart ass tone
sometimes. Let's get that right, haha."
Naomi fake scoffed at him while finishing the carrots before taking them to the
other cutting board. While she began dicing them, she could hear the boys in
the lounge laughing, mixed with Sono's coughing and she called out, 
"Oto, don't suffocate your brother please!"
A pause.
"Yes, mom!"
And she smiled, going back to her veggies, only stopping when she felt her
husbands arms wrap around her thin waist, a snarky smile gracing her cheeks. 
"Hanasaki-san, if I may finish prepping supper for my family, that would be
ever so generous."
"Why of course, Hanasaki-chan. Why would I ever stop you from doing that? I'm
just making certain you're cutting the veggies correctly."
With a quick turn in his arms and a knife in her hand, Naomi quirked her brow
at him and he laughed, raising his hands in defeat, backing away.
"Alright alright, message received. I was actually coming to see if you pulled
the broth yet, but it looks like no."
"Not yet. I didn't get around to that part. Do you mind starting it? The
mixture is in the fridge somewhere."
Kenji nodded and kissed her shoulder quickly before walking to the fridge,
pulling out the needed items and mixing them in a saucepan before setting it on
the stove. Just as he turned the stove to a medium heat, he heard his cell
phone ringing from the counter next to the potatoes. With a sigh, he walked
over to answer it, expecting it to be Henia. 
"Hello?"
Naomi watched her husband go from a predicted stare to a confused and surprised
look in seconds as he spoke on the phone. She mouthed to him 'who is it?'. but
he mouthed back 'one second' and continued to talk. 
"I'm actually surprised you called....no, I'm happy to hear from you, it's been
ages....well, sort of yes....Yeah, I'm married, you know that. You should know
that anyway, I sent you an invitation, but I assumed you were
busy.....No....what?.....of course not....Really? When?.....I...don't see why
not, I'd have to run it by Naomi first....yeah...yeah I'll call you back
later....ok...ok bye."
He hung up his phone and leaned against the counter with a heavy sigh, a
strange look in his eye. Naomi stopped her prep and wiped her hands, asking
him, 
"So...who was it?"
He looked up at her with a shocked stare and said, 
"That was Chino."
The air suddenly grew thick as Naomi's brown eyes widened, voice stammering as
she said, 
"Ch-Chino? No shit? Wow, what's it been? 10 years? I haven't seen him since
high school. How's he doing?"
"Good, I'd guess. He's calling from Yokohama. Apparently, he's taking a holiday
leave and his mother is still in Fukushima, so he was planning on staying with
her, but he found out I was still here so he wants to catch up...maybe stay a
night or two. He said he's thought about us lately and wasn't at all surprised
when I told him we were married. granted, he kinda guessed we would be...what
do you think? A night or two? He's supposed to fly in tomorrow."
"I mean, I don't see why not. It has been a long time. And he was one of your
best friends....mine too, sort of. I mean, he was kinda obnoxious and
loud...well...so long as he behaves, especially around the boys, I don't see
why not. Are you picking him up or no?"
"I think he's getting a cab and I'll pick him up at his mothers....I think this
could be good. I haven't heard from him in so long I was afraid he was dead.
Heh, I miss the bastard. Good times we had in high school."
"Oh? Like drinking and partying all night through senior year? That was what I
remember you were doing."
"Yes and as you recall, I straightened my act up quick when my own father
threatened to take my share of the company away so I couldn't run it when he
stepped down....not to mention a surprise add on to the equation was another
factor of me getting my shit together."
Naomi smiled at that, recalling how scared she was at 17, telling her senior
year 18 year old boyfriend that she was pregnant with his baby. She recalled
the look of fear and happiness on his face as he twirled her around, kissing
her and telling her he was going to be a wonderful father. 
"Hard to believe so many years went by already. Can you, Kenji? Is this how you
pictured us? Married so young, parents at 18 and raising two wonderful boys?"
"Of course I can't believe it. I can't believe you've stuck by me all this
time. Hell, I'm surprised at how good I am at this fathering thing. Haha. Oto
being unplanned and Sono being a happy little miracle. I'm quite content."
Naomi smiled and leaned up to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his neck,
feeling him kiss back deeply, his hands trailing down her waist. The moment was
perfect until they heard two sets of EWW coming from the doorway. 
Breaking apart, they laughed as Oto and Sono were watching them, the elder
brother shielding his younger brothers eyes from the sight, dramatically
yelling, 
"Shield your eyes, ototo-san! You must not watch such a gross display! I'll
protect you!"
Sono continued to laugh while trying to pry his brothers hands away from his
eyes, but when he did, he coughed a little and laughed to himself softly. 
Kenji laughed again and pulled away from his wifes hold, slowly walking towards
them saying, 
"And what's wrong with giving my wife a little affection and love here and
there? You two act as though it is such a terrible sight to behold...until I
catch the two of you!"
In a move so quick, neither boy caught it, Kenji scooped Sono up into his arms,
tickling the laughing child as he called out, 
"Run, Oto! Save yourself! He's got me!"
Oto was quick to bolt up the stairs, his father chasing him with a screaming
child in his arms, all while Naomi held herself against the counter, laughing
until she had tears in her eyes. Her family was something else, that was for
sure. 
She eventually turned around to finish prepping veggies, all while listening to
her three men screaming with laughter upstairs, mixing with her youngest sons
coughing and laughing; she smiled softly to herself, the memory of telling an
18 year old Kenji that she was pregnant was a joy for them both. Then the
reminder of telling him about her pregnancy later with their youngest ages
later was a tricky one, considering they were fighting so much at the time, on
the slow verge of divorce. 
She had been going through such a stressful time that when she found she was
pregnant, she almost didn't want to go through with it. She wasn't sure if she
and Kenjis marriage was even going to last. But the minute Oto found out he was
going to be a brother tossed all those thoughts out the window. And when he was
born, health complications aside, he was beautiful. Born with a full head of
golden hair and striking brown eyes, she could tell Kenji fell in love with him
the moment he first held him. He had the same look he had when Oto was born.
That was when she knew their marriage was going to work. And she never looked
back.
Finally, after a few moments of peaceful silence to herself, Kenji came running
back down the stairs, face red with exertion and he was laughing, saying, 
"I'm...ha...I'm sorry, honey. Those boys take so much out of me. And Oto is a
lot stronger than he looks! Sono too! When did they start lifting weights?"
"Oh ha ha, very funny. Now hush up and help me cook....one second...Oto! Make
sure you and your brother wash up for dinner!"
She got a faint response followed by some small giggling and she chuckled to
herself, ignoring her husbands heavy breathing as she tried, once more, to cut
up the vegetables. 
===============================================================================
 
It was later the next afternoon that Sono's condition had gotten a bit worse.
While his fever didn't increase, his coughing and sneezing had and he was
complaining of his body aching more than usual. Oto begged Kenji and Naomi for
him to stay home so he could take care of his brother, to which they agreed
almost too quickly.
Of course, Oto quickly called Miyuki to let her know why he wasn't in school
and she was happy to know that the boy was in good hands. Takeo had even called
to ask if Sono was alright to talk, which he was, but for a brief amount of
time. His throat was sore and he was constantly thirsty. So he and his brother
were snuggled up on the couch, watching some old anime movie, while Naomi was
in the kitchen going over some small bills and other papers. 
She felt nervous, though she didn't know why. Her old high school friend was
coming by today and she should feel excited...but she felt worried. 
Chino was, by all accounts, a frat boy in high school. Always got into trouble,
a terrible influence and wasn't very happy when Kenji had told him that his
party days were done once his father made it clear about the company's future.
Though, he did seem to be more accepting of the fact that Naomi was pregnant. 
She sighed; being nervous was against her nature. She needed to just breath for
a moment. 
Walking into the lounge and seeing her boys snuggled up against the couch, she
smiled and sat down in the lounge chair, taking the remote and muting the tv,
while looking at them and said, 
"Boys...you know daddy has a friend staying with us for a few days, right?"
Oto nodded, shifting so his brothers head wasn't lopped over his neck.
"Yeah, that Chino guy, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that's him. Now listen. I haven't seen him in a long time and I know your
dad hasn't either. So I don't know what's changed in 10 years. But in any case,
just...let's all just give him a big welcome once he gets here, ok?"
Sono smiled through the blanket and nodded as best he could, while Oto gave her
a thumbs up. And with that, she smiled and stood, immediately as she heard a
car pulling in the driveway. Oto jumped to his feet and helped his brother
stand, throwing the blanket on the couch as Naomi walked to the door, opening
it as soon as she heard her husbands voice behind the door. 
Kenji walked in and shook the snow off his hair, laughing to himself as he
thanked his wife and greeted his sons. Behind him, a man walked in and in a
near second, the air felt different....dirty. 
He was a muscular man, with shaggy brown hair and dark eyes. He wore a black
jacket and long blue cargo pants with black shoes. On his back, there was a
duffel bag. He quickly turned to Naomi, kissing her cheek and said, 
"Well, well, Asano Naomi. It has been ages, haven't it? You look as though you
haven't aged a day since high school. Still such a beauty."
Naomi blushed and smiled, hugging the man and said, 
"It certainly has. You look well, Chino. Very well. Where's life taken you
these last 10 years?"
"All over, honestly. I was telling Kenji here about how I went to America for a
few years, worked around and such. Came back to Japan about a year and a half
and felt like it was time to catch up with old friends....make some new ones
too. Lots has changed."
Kenji and Naomi nodded before the man came up to the two children standing
around. Kenji smiled and said, 
"Chino, these are my boys. This is Oto, my aspiring lawyer."
Chino smiled and extended his hand to the boy, who slowly took it and nodded at
him. His eyes behind his glasses were narrow, as if he didn't know if he could
trust this man yet. 
"And this is Sono, our artist. Well, future manga illustrator, if I'm being
technical."
The other mans eyes trailed to the youngest and that's when the air suddenly
became thicker. His brown eyes glanced down at the small child as he stumbled a
little in his fathers arms, coughing into his hand and whimpering about the
pain in his head. Kenji shifted from excited friend to concerned parent in
seconds, taking the boy in his arms and said, 
"Are you ok, sweetie? Still feeling sick?"
When the boy nodded, Kenji lifted him up and said, 
"Give me a second, Chino. I'm gonna put Sono in bed for a bit. I'll be right
down. Make yourself at home."
The man made his way up the stairs with the coughing child in his arms, while
Naomi took Chino's bag and told Oto to set it in the guest bedroom. The child
did as he was told, stealing a quick glance at the other man for a moment
before walking upstairs. He didn't like the look he gave him....he especially
didn't like the look he gave Sono. It nerved him a bit, but he didn't know
why. 
As he set the bag in the guest room, he decided to see how said brother was
doing. Making his way to his room, he saw their father sitting in his bed,
rubbing the boys forehead and tucking him in. 
"Dad? Is he ok?"
Kenji turned to Oto and nodded, ushering him over, saying, 
"He still has a pretty intense fever, but I think it's starting to show signs
of breaking soon. He just needs to sleep it off. Do you mind sitting with him
for a bit?"
"No, not at all. It's ok, dad. I know you have a friend downstairs. I'll stay
with Sono tonight."
"Thanks, honey. You're a big help."
Kenji pressed a kiss to the top of Otos head as he walked out of the room,
leaving the two brothers alone. Oto sighed as he watched the way his brothers
chest rose and fell with every heavy breath. He hated seeing him like this. It
just reminded him of all the times he was a horrible big brother to him. 
The very real memory of his former friends locking his 4 year old brother in
the basement and not even bothering to realize it until many hours later was
still fresh in his head. God, he felt like the worst kind of asshole. And he
promised to his parents and to his brother he'd be better, much more
attentive. 
"...ni-san..."
His brothers weak voice broke him from his thoughts and he leaned down to hear
him whisper, 
"I'm thirsty."
And seeing that there was already a water bottle sitting next to the bed, Oto
took it and gently lifted his brothers head so he could drink. After a few
gulps, Sono fell asleep almost immediately. Oto smiled and got comfortable next
to him, snuggling up to him in his bed and whispered, 
"Sleep tight, kiddo. Let me know if you need anything. I'll be right here."
Downstairs, Chino had just gotten comfortable on the couch with Kenji, asking, 
"So...your youngest...is it a cold?"
"Well, it started out as a cold. I think it's about ready to break though. You
know how kids get. They get worse just before they get better."
"Yeah...I've been around my fair share of kids to know what they're like in
those kinds of situations."
Naomi sat down in the opposite chair, sipping her tea and asked, 
"Really? In America? That's something. Last I checked, you hated kids."
"Not so much anymore. I found there's a lot you can learn from young ones. Your
youngest..."
"His name's Sono, Chino."
"Right. Well, he reminds me of one kid in particular I was helping out in the
states. Though he was not as cute as your boy. He looks just like his mother."
Again, Naomi blushed, but more so ignored the comment as she nibbled on a
cookie while Kenji bombarded his friend with more questions. Maybe this was a
good idea to have Chino here. Kenji seemed happy that his friend was back in
the picture, so what was there to be so nervous about?
Her eyes glanced up to the ceiling for a moment, as if thinking about something
serious, but chose not to address it. This was a happy occasion. 
She wasn't going to spoil her husbands nostalgic joys with her still unknown
doubts. 
TBC
***** Chapter 4 *****
Chapter Notes
     Alright, it's time for some warning shots here.
     This chapter will contain some heavy...HEAVY content, which will also
     trail into the next chapter and if you're not comfortable with it
     (which I can't imagine why you would be, but for fictions sake), I
     suggest you vacate quickly. It's a subject that ties this stories
     general theme together. And it's not a pleasant one either. Trust me.
     I don't enjoy writing scenes like this but when it ties together, it
     makes more sense as to why it's there.
When Kenji and Naomi brought Sono home from the hospital, it was not a pleasant
day. They had grown so worried about his fever and his coughing that it was
bordering on several days, close to a week even. The doctors had mentioned that
some children can unknowingly extend their ailments due to stress and
discomfort. 
Which didn't make a lot of sense. What was there to be stressed about in their
house? There was nothing really out of the ordinary. 
They talked about it on the drive home, Naomi behind the wheel and Kenji in the
backseat with his son in his arms, not letting go for a moment. He...wasn't
quite sure what to do with himself here. Oto had never gotten this sick before,
nothing more than a common cold for 4 days and it went away like it was
nothing. 
But considering Sono was already born with some health complications, it stood
to reason that his health would be a cause for concern in the near future. 
So all Kenji could think of was holding his child through it all, just like he
did Oto. 
When they eventually returned home, they quickly got inside and out of the
snow, shaking it off as they removed their shoes, greeted by Oto with a small
smile, fading into a look of concern at the look of his flushed brothers face. 
"What did they say?"
Naomi sighed and hung up her coat, grumbling out, 
"Nothing we've never heard before. They say he might be stressed about
something, but we don't know what it could be."
"That doesn't matter right now. What's important is we get him upstairs and
into bed."
"Kenji-"
"Naomi, I don't want to hear it. Whatever this is, we'll take care of it. I'm
sure it's nothing serious. If it was, they'd have told us. Now I'm going to put
him to bed and head to the office to do some work."
He didn't wait for a response from her as he turned and walked up the stairs,
leaving Oto genuinely confused. Turning to his mother, he asked, 
"Is Dad mad at something? He seems so grouchy."
Naomi sighed and patted her sons shoulder, leading him to the lounge for a
moment before relaxing on the couch, saying, 
"I think he's just worried is all. Worried and stressed. With this weather
being an absolute nightmare, he's had to work from home a lot and he doesn't
like doing that all the time. His son is sick and we're not sure why, so he's
dealing with that...not to mention he has a friend visiting and he's trying to
juggle three different things at once."
Oto nodded and took off his glasses for a moment to wipe the smudge away,
slipping them back on and thought about the last week, taking his mothers words
into thought. 
It had been a pretty off week, considering that the weather had shifted to a
soft blizzard and the major roads in Fukushima were closed down, making it
impossible for people to get anywhere. That meant Kenji was unable to drive to
work and was forced to do it at home, something Oto knew he hated to do unless
it was seriously important. That he could understand. 
But the change in weather also meant Chino's stay with them had extended and
Oto was not thrilled with that. He didn't much care for the man, though he
wasn't rude. Chino did help around the house quite a bit, assisting Naomi with
cooking and cleaning, helping Oto study for his prep exams and even helped take
care of Sono when he needed something. So why did Oto feel so....awkward around
him sometimes?
He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about the man he
didn't like. But he was also his fathers friend and he had to be respectful,
even if it meant biting his tongue. 
Meanwhile, Kenji carried his son upstairs and walked past his large room, only
stopping when he heard the boy mumble in his ear. Shifting him in his arms a
bit, he asked, 
"What is it, love? Need anything?"
The boy shook his head, only latching onto his fathers shirt tighter, making
Kenji smiled and pat his back, continuing his walk to the boys room. He had
then walked past the guest room, which was open, and he saw Chino sitting in
bed reading, looking up to smile at his friend. Then he saw the boy in his arms
and the smile faded a touch. Setting the book down, he stood and asked, 
"How is he?"
"I wish I could say better. But those stupid doctors didn't tell us anything
different. God, I wish I knew what it was. It can't just be a cold; It'd have
gone down by now."
"Well, I know that kids and their sicknesses are trickier than most adults.
Sometimes, they can get sick from nothing and stay that way for a long time,
then all of a sudden, poof. Healed and active once again. Has he ever had the
chicken pox?"
"Yeah, when he was 2. Why?"
"I learned in America that some kids get really bad fevers and chills just
before they get the chicken pox, so that would've been my first guess. If not
that, then I have no idea. But it'll be ok, Kenji. He'll be ok. I'm sure he
just needs to get some rest."
Kenji smiled again softly, nodding and kissed the boys burning forehead,
hearing such a soft whimper from the child. It prompted the man to run his hand
up the childs shirt, feeling his back and his eyes narrowed a bit. 
"He still feels so warm. I'm gonna run him a cool bath before getting him into
bed."
Chino nodded, eyes never leaving the boys shivering form. It was as if his dark
eyes were trying to figure something out, but coming up dry...though a tremble
went down his spine and he shook his head, asking, 
"Want some help?"
And it wasn't so much the question that caused Kenji to halt, but the way it
was asked. It was quick, urgent almost in its tone. His eyes shifted to his
friend, who stared back with an almost burning intensity. It nerved him a bit,
collecting himself before answering, 
"That's fine. I got it. He's been so attached to me lately that I'm not sure
he'll want someone else holding him for a while. Thanks though. You go back to
your reading. Naomi might start dinner early since it's so cold, so she might
want help with that. But...I'm gonna spend some time with Sono for a bit. Make
sure he's comfortable before I leave him alone. And I know Oto is itching to
watch him too."
With that, Kenji turned to walk out of the room and down the hall to his sons
room, opening the door with his foot and glided over to the attached bathroom,
already in the process of removing his sons clothes. He took great care in
removing his shirt as he noticed the boys skin was sensitive due to the fever
and even the brush of the fabric startled him. After removing his pants and
underwear, Kenji leaned over to start the water, testing the temperature so it
wasn't too hot or too cold. 
A soft whimper made him stop and hold his son again, pulling back to look at
his face. 
The poor baby looked dreadful. Paler than usual and his brown eyes looked
bloodshot and tired. His mouth opened to whimper, 
"I feel like crap, dad."
"..Haha, I can imagine you do. I'm sorry, Sono. I wish I could make it go away,
but I can't turn time forward. But how does a cool bath sound?"
The boy gave his dad a smug look and nodded, whispering, 
"Sounds good."
Kenji chuckled; even when he was ill, Sono was still a smart mouth little
brat....just like his mother. 
Finally, the water was the right temperature and the tub was filled just enough
to cover up to the boys chest. Kenji rolled up his sleeves and got the boy in
the tub, lightly splashing some of the water on his face and on his neck.
Judging from the small moans the boy was making, it seemed to feel good for his
burning skin. His head lopped from side to side as Kenji continued to cool his
skin down, not hearing the bedroom door opening until he heard, 
"Dad, do you need some help?"
Kenji turned to see Oto standing there, dressed in his pajamas and he smiled. 
"Sure. In the bottom drawer, there's some child medicine in a pink bottle.
Bring that to me."
With a nod, Oto began rummaging through the drawers until he came across the
bottle, a bright pink one, and handed it to his father, who shook his head at
first and said, 
"I need my hands to hold him up so he doesn't slide under water and drown. Open
that up and fill the cap up to the line....no no push it in first and then turn
it to the left. Those things are stupid, I know. Child proof and all that."
This stuff smelt horrible, Oto quickly realized as he poured the liquid into
the cap and handed it to his father, who then turned to Sono and said, 
"Open up, honey. This will make you feel a little better."
Without a sound, the boy drank down the medicine, sputtering a few times, but
relaxing instantly. Kenji wiped his mouth and told Oto to bring him a towel,
which he used to wrap around the boy as he lifted him from the tub, hearing his
older son pull the drain stop so the water ran. The man was quick to get his
son dressed in some warm clothes and tucked into bed, sitting at the head and
rubbing his hair. 
He didn't look as distressed as he did this morning, plus the medicine would
help relax him into a gentle sleep for the night. And it seemed Sono was
already out for the night as Kenji leaned down to kiss his temple, whispering
his love for him and standing quietly, ready to usher Oto out of the room. But
the boy stayed for a bit, taking his brothers hand in his, kissing his knuckles
and said that he hoped he'd get better soon and that he missed playing with
him. He also mentioned that Takeo would not stop calling to check on him. 
Finally, the two men left and Oto asked in a hushed tone, 
"Sono will get better, won't he dad?"
"Of course he will. This is just some child cold or something. He'll come out
of it eventually...we'll wake him in a few hours so he can eat something. Let's
head down to see if your mom needs some help."
Oto nodded and followed his father down the stairs. As they walked past the
guest room, Chino had just opened the door to follow them, only to stop and
take a look at the boys closed bedroom door. Making sure he wasn't going to be
seen, he made his way to the room and quietly opened the door, peering in to
see the young child sound asleep in bed. He looked so peaceful and so innocent.
Chino let out a shuddering sigh as he walked up to the childs bed and extended
his hand to brush against his yellow hair, such golden, silky locks that passed
through his hands, some small strands catching his bent fingers. 
He brought those strands of hair up to his nose and inhaled, eyes rolling back
in his head at the smell. This was nothing new to him. Not at all. But he'd be
damned if his friend knew anything about it. About the real reason he left
Japan for a few years. About why he had to leave the states. No, that talk
would be for later....when he got his fill. 
His dark eyes lingered on the child a little longer than he'd have liked; he
had to get out of here quick before Kenji or Naomi caught him in here. Or god
forbid the boys brother, who already seemed to not trust him. He was about to
turn to leave the room when something caught his eye...in the bathroom...the
boys clothes. 
Oh god....Chino could feel his loins set ablaze. Taking a quick glance at the
boy and at the door, he quickly, but quietly grabbed the boys shirt and left
the room, gently shutting the door and ran back to his own room, shutting the
door behind him and inhaled the scent in the shirt, moaning to himself. It was
becoming very difficult to control himself around that boy, especially when he
was so defenseless due to his illness. His thoughts went wild the minute he saw
him. 
At first, he thought the older one was much more interesting, but the youngest
one caught his attention the most. He didn't know why, but it drove him mad. 
Insanely mad. 
The image of that boy alone and vulnerable in his bed....Chino unbuckled his
pants and couldn't stop himself, gripping himself with the boys shirt, images
going berserk in his brain. He knew was playing a very dangerous game here. 
If Kenji found out about any of this, there'd be no telling what he'd do. He
had already killed two people who threatened to hurt Naomi when she was
pregnant with their first son years ago. Murder was certainly not beneath the
Hanasaki name should it come down to it. They had the best lawyers this side of
Japan and they'd get away with anything self defense worthy...if he found out
his best friend, the person he confided in most in high school, was getting off
on the image of his youngest child...Kenji would kill him. And perhaps that
would be the best way to go. 
With a shuddering gasp, Chino came hard in the small shirt, wiping it clean and
tucking himself back in his pants, walking over to the mirror to look at
himself. He always felt disgusted at the idea of thinking such things....but he
couldn't help it. 
He jumped as he heard a knock at his door, followed by Naomi's voice asking, 
"Chino, do you mind helping me with dinner? Kenji's helping Oto with his exam
prep and I could use an extra hand."
Oh fuck....that was something he also didn't consider.
Naomi...she was equally as protective of her kids as Kenji was. If Kenji
wouldn't kill him, she certainly would. He recalled her being such a wild cat
in high school, able to stand her own ground and kick the ass of anyone who
even looked at her funny. He saw instantly why Kenji fell in love with her. 
And considering the phrase regarding mothers and their babies....Chino was
walking on literal fire. He had to be careful. 
"Chino, are you ok in there?"
Straightening himself up in the mirror, he called out, 
"Y-yeah, I'll be down in a bit. Sorry, was really into the book I was reading
and was miles away. Give me a second."
Outside the door, Naomi's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and turned to walk down
the hallway and down the stairs, passing the others in the lounge. Oto quickly
asked, 
"Is Sono gonna be able to eat anything, mom? I'd feel bad if we ate without
him."
Naomi smiled and leaned against the door, saying, 
"If he's hungry and feeling up for it, he can eat with us or you can take two
bowls up to his room and eat with him. I'm sure he'd love the company, honey.
Also, and I don't know why that reminded me, but Kenji, make a mental note for
me reminding me to pull laundry either tonight or tomorrow. I really want to
try that new laundry soap we bought last week."
Kenji smiled and nodded at her, poking his head with his finger and gave her a
thumbs up, which earned him a playful tongue waggle from her as she walked to
the kitchen. Soon after, Chino walked downstairs and waved at Kenji before
staggering into the kitchen, which didn't go unnoticed by Naomi.
"Did you get lost up there? Stub your toe?"
"Heh, yeah. My legs feel asleep getting out of bed and I hit my toe on the door
frame. But I'm fine. Now, what did you need help with?"
Her eyes narrowed again and there was a sudden jolt in her chest that she
wasn't sure where it came from. Ignoring it for now, she pointed to her cutting
board and said, 
"Staring slicing those onions and toss them in the skillet. We're having
meatloaf tonight, something simple and I want those onions caramelized. And
thank you for your help."
Chino smiled and got right to it, slicing the onions and tossing them in a bowl
with the seasonings she set aside before mixing them and threw them in the hot
skillet. From behind him, he watched as Naomi effortlessly starting molding the
ground meat in her hands, mixing it with salt, pepper, ginger, diced bacon and
liquid smoke. He was intrigued by her chosen ingredients, but opted not to
ask. 
She could sense his gaze on her back, but she wasn't so much bothered by it as
she could have been. Instead, she asked him, 
"So...why were you in America all these years? When we graduated, you said
something about becoming a doctor or something. Proving all the doubters wrong.
What happened?"
Chinos gaze darkened for a second as he considered his answer, knowing that she
could tell something was amiss. He sighed a little and said, 
"I...got into some trouble and decided to leave for a while. Ended up in
American a lot longer than I would've thought."
"So why did you leave?"
"Well, if you must know, I kind of screwed up a job and they gave me two
choices. I either leave the state I was in or I just pack up and go back to
Japan. I decided to leave the state for a while, but I couldn't shake that
guilt of what I did....so I came home."
"What you did? What did you do that was so terrible that they forced you to
relocate?"
"I...hurt someone. Someone that shouldn't have been hurt they way I did. I
didn't tell anyone about it because I was afraid of their reactions...I
couldn't even tell Kenji and-"
"Hold up...Kenji doesn't know? Chino, what the fuck did you do?"
The man said nothing but his dark gaze shifted up to her and immediately, Naomi
became alert. Without thinking, she said, 
"You listen to me, Chino. We've been through a lot in school together and I put
up with a lot of your shit. Whatever it is you've done is whatever you've done.
I don't care so long as it stays wherever you left it. But if you hurt me or my
husband or either of my sons...I will not hesitate to fuck you up more than
Kenji ever could. This is my house and you will not cross a line here. And
Kenji would not think twice."
God, it was that fire that drew his friend to marry such a bitch like her,
Chino could see it now. But he accepted it then because he knew it was his
friends life. And now, he was playing a very hard game. It wasn't like he could
up and say he was sexually attracted to their youngest son....like she had
mentioned before. 
She would not hesitate...and Kenji would not think twice. 
Knowing he was defeated this round, he raised his hands in peace and turned
back to focus on the onions, leaving Naomi fuming to herself. Her doubts and
suspicions were kicked into overdrive...should she tell Kenji? Could she tell
him? 
She couldn't think of a decisive plan, so she turned back to her counter, heart
racing in her chest. And while Chino focused on his onions, his eyes glazed
over in a dark temptation. This heated argument had lit a fire in his veins. He
needed to act fast and get this urge out of the way before it got much more
dangerous. 
--
The rest of dinner was awkward. Naomi was shooting him dark looks through her
glass of wine while Kenji prattled on about his day and asking Chino about his.
Said man noticed Oto was not present and assumed he was upstairs with his
brother. That would make things a bit more complicated. 
Nevertheless, he continued to eat his meal, smiling at his friend as he
spoke...inwardly planning the rest of his night. 
After dinner, he retired to his room to shower, passing Oto on the way with two
empty plates, asking politely how Sono was doing. The boy peered at him through
his glasses and said, 
"Better, I guess. He ate his whole meatloaf without a second thought and I gave
him more medicine so he could sleep. He's out now, so if you're gonna stay up
here, be quiet so he doesn't wake up."
"You have my word."
Oto scoffed at him and walked back downstairs, ignoring the way Chino scowled
at him. But with the boy gone, for a short time, this gave him a better chance
to prepare. Walking into his guest room bathroom, he removed his clothes and
got in the shower, instantly becoming erect at the thought of doing this. He
was once again disgusted with himself, but again, there was no stopping it. He
gripped his cock and began pumping himself, the images growing heavy in his
head. 
It was quick, but satisfying for a time as he dried and got dressed in his
pajamas, hearing the sounds of footsteps up the stairs and the family saying
their good nights, followed by the sound of doors shutting. Chino peered out to
see Oto walking into his own room for the night, which gave him his golden
opportunity. 
Once the house was dark, he tiptoed out of his room and shut the door, stalking
up to the boys room and opened the door, quietly closing it once he was inside
and immediately began to rethink this decision. 
Was he really about to do this horrid act to his best friends son? Something he
tried to help himself when he left the states....there was a name for people
like him. People who didn't deserve to walk around freely. He had been called
that when he was forced out of his job and into the streets, and everywhere he
went. 
One look at the sleeping child in bed and his mind went racing. He couldn't
stop himself. He walked over to the boys bed and crawled on top of him, moving
the covers so the top of his shirt was exposed. It was a silk button
up....perfect. 
His large fingers began to work at the buttons, pulling them apart one by one.
And once he unbuttoned the last one, his eyes glistened at the sight of the
boys chest. 
That's when he felt the movement under him. And that was when he saw weak brown
eyes open to stare at him. 
It was quiet and tense....too tense. Chino didn't know what to do at this
point. Sono looked up at him, sleepy and confused, unsure of what was
happening. He looked down to see his pajama shirt was unbuttoned and his tired
eyes widened just a little. And it was then Chino realized he had been caught.
There was no talking himself out of this. 
The boys weak voice spoke out, frightened to his core, 
"Ch-Chino? What's going on? What's happening?"
Something in the mans head snapped at the sound of his voice. His vision went
red and he couldn't stop his hands from gripping the boys wrists tightly,
pinning them above his head and his other hand covering his mouth. The boys
eyes widened once more, fully awake and more terrified than he'd ever been in
his life. The look Chino was giving him was unlike anything he'd seen. It
didn't look human. 
"Sh sh sh, don't worry, Sono. It's alright."
He lowered his head and licked a hot stripe across the boys face, making him
cry out under his hand, tears beading in his eyes as those rough hands
tightened on his wrists. In a quick motion, Chino removed his hand from his
mouth and pulled the childs pajama bottoms down and off his legs, immediately
earning a near scream, only to have it muffled once more. That's when he began
struggling, seeing how Chino wasn't wearing any pants at all. His struggling
became fighting, his screams muffled by the mans hand, tears leaking down his
face. He had a general idea of what was happening here, but his head was
swimming due to the medicine. 
All he knew right now was he was being attacked and he couldn't move or make a
sound. And the smile Chino was giving him only made it worse. 
"Shhh it's ok, Sono, it's ok. Don't cry...Uncle Chino is going to make you feel
better. I promise."
That was the last thing Sono heard before he was engulfed in a searing pain,
eyes rolling back into his head as he thought he heard himself scream...but he
doubted it. 
--
Chino left the boys room an hour and half later, trembling madly and staring at
his own hands, eyes wide with disgust and fear. He left the child crying in his
bed after cleaning him up and dressed him, trying to not make the situation
worse. He even pleaded to the boy not to tell anyone, especially his father.
Sono had said nothing to him. He simply stared blank into the dark room as
Chino left. 
The man made his way back to his guest room and shut the door, running to the
bathroom and vomited in the toilet. 
There was no going back now. He had a taste and he hated himself for ever
craving it. But now that the seed had been sowed, he knew he couldn't stop. It
would continue until he left the house and never came back.
Or until Kenji finds out and blows his brains out, the last thing Chino would
ever see being the barrel of his best friends gun. 
TBC
***** Chapter 5 *****
Oto Hanasaki was many things to many people. 
He was considered a child prodigy, intelligent with just the right amount of
humble to be considered a perfect person. He had the best grades in his entire
school, he was shooting to become a lawyer for his fathers company with the
hope of taking over just like Kenji did from his grandfather (may he rest in
peace). Already on the cusp of entering middle school with his friends, who he
had met through his cram school years and through many other events regarding
his studies. 
He had a perfect memory, able to remember even the most minuet details at any
given moment in time. It was how he got so good at every academic thing he
strived for.  But he also knew he had his faults. He certainly wasn't a super
human. 
He knew he couldn't read peoples faces like his father could, couldn't read
other peoples emotions like his mother. In that department, at least to
strangers, Oto was blind. Not that it really bothered him much. 
However, if he did have that one person in life that he could read like an open
book, it was his baby brother. He and Sono were close enough to be able to
understand the kids issues even before they happened. He loved his brother more
than anything on this planet, would do anything for him. And he knew the kid
would understand as he got older and hoped he'd feel the same. They've shared
the same bed, same bathtub, same room for ages when Sono was just a baby and
Oto made a vow to protect his brother from anyone who tried to hurt him. He
didn't like to see him upset or cry, especially when he was the cause of it. 
Sometimes, Sono knew he had his big brother wrapped around his finger and was
smart enough to exploit it whenever he wanted (ie, stealing candy in broad
daylight). But it was for loving intentions, Oto decided, and was quick to dote
on his kid brother were it necessary. 
Yes, Oto was many things, but he wasn't a super human. He just wanted to be a
good student, a good son and a perfect big brother. He wanted to be the best
lawyer in the company, possibly in all of Fukushima, hell, he'd shoot for all
of Japan. 
But one thing he wanted at this very moment, at this exact moment he walked
upstairs one afternoon, was to know why in the hell his kid brother was
avoiding him, locked in his room and told him to go away. He had been acting
strange for over a week now, not wanting to talk to anyone and throwing the
biggest fits if someone touched him. 
It was bugging him greatly and he didn't know how to fix it. All he could do
was stand in front of his brothers door and knock for the 50th time that week,
begging him to come out so they could talk about whatever was bothering him. He
got little response except a small 'no' and was told to 'go away.' This kind of
behavior angered Oto just a bit, but he said nothing as he walked away from the
door and back downstairs to the kitchen, expecting to see his mom but was more
elated to see his father instead, reading one of Naomi's old recipes from a
blue folder. He didn't notice the boy at first, until Oto asked, 
"Where's mom?"
Kenji looked at him over the folder and took a sip of his coffee. That puzzled
Oto more. His father never drank coffee in the afternoon, only in the morning
from 5 am to the occasional third cup at 7 just before he would leave for
work. 
"She went shopping with some friends today. I guess there was a huge sale at
the market and she was really wanting to get more of that detergent for our
clothes. I can see why though. My shirts smell like watermelon and they feel
like clouds."
The man chuckled at his joke and went back to reading, while Oto tilted his
head, his eyes glancing at the counter, seeing a full pot of coffee already
made. The time on the pot read 3:27 pm. Now, puzzled wasn't the right word to
express the boys confusion. He looked back at his father and asked, 
"So...why so much coffee today? You usually don't drink this much in the middle
of the day."
The man stopped reading and sighed, setting the folder down and even set his
mug down, walking over to Oto and set his hand on his head, getting to his knee
and looked him in the eye. Through his glasses, Otos eyes widened a bit. Now
that his father was right in his face, he looked tired, stressed. That
certainly would explain a lot of things. 
Kenji smiled and said, 
"I have a lot on my mind, love. Getting back into the swing of things at work
has been a hassle knowing I still have something going on at home. But I also
have a early evening meeting in about an hour and I'm trying to keep myself
awake for it. I know, I know, it's weird seeing me drink this much coffee and
if your mom found out, she'd give me all kinds of guff about it. Just bare with
me a bit, Oto. My head's all over the place."
"I can see that. I thought for sure it was because Sono hasn't left his room in
over a week. Cause I'm really worried about him."
The mood shifted as Kenji's eyes softened at his sons concerned stare, averting
to the ground. Gently, he lifted his sons face up to look at him, seeing how
tears had pooled in his eyes, fogging his glasses. Kenji wiped them away with
his thumb and said, 
"I'm worried too. I have no idea what's gotten into him lately. I tried to talk
to him but he's refusing to come out. I won't lie, I'm getting impatient and
irritated. I don't like my own son shutting me out like this, but at the same
time, I'm not sure what I can do to help. He hasn't said anything to you?"
"Nothing. Nothing at all. One day he's smiley and happy even though he's sick
and the next...he's just barricaded himself. He's never been like this before.
And I'm really scared, dad. What if something happened?"
"I'm sure it's nothing, Oto, but I get where you're coming from. Look, just
keep trying to break through to him. Talk to him through the door. That's all
you can do for now. And your mom will be home soon, so just try and get her to
help you. I have to get going. I love you."
Kenji kissed the top of Oto's head before standing and grabbing his briefcase,
walking out of the kitchen and out the front door in a near dash, leaving Oto
wiping his eyes and nodding to himself with a determined look in his eye. 
His father was right. He couldn't very well help his brother when he was acting
like a child himself. With a new sense of confidence, Oto bolted up the stairs
and turned the corner to the hallway, only to stop when he saw Chino knocking
on his brothers door, an equally concerned look on his face. 
Confidence aside, Oto grew irritated and marched over to the door, asking, 
"What are you doing? He could be sleeping, you jerk."
The man turned his head to look at the boy, his dark eyes sharp with a glare. 
"Unless he's dreaming about the ending to a sad movie, that crying doesn't
sound like sleeping."
All the gears in Otos mind halted as he took in the information Chino gave him,
brief as it was. Lightly pushing the man away, he knocked on the door and
said, 
"Sono, it's ni-san. I just wanna talk to you...are you ok?"
He wasn't given a response, only his crying rose a bit louder. Oto scowled. 
"C'mon, brother, open up. You can't just lock yourself in here without at least
telling me what's going on. Remember? We said no secrets."
His words caused the man behind him to give a scowl himself before composing
himself and backed away a little as Oto continued to knock on the door,
speaking to his brother through the wood. Chino was beginning to feel a touch
nervous when the boy said 'no secrets'. He had made his point clear about what
happened that night and if Sono were to blab to his brother about it...no. No,
he had made his message clear the previous night. He had even been so angry
when the young boy started struggling more and more each time. 
Last night, he had been rougher than usual. He squeezed the boys wrists a bit
too hard and almost broke the fragile bones, making the child bite into his
pillow. No doubt there were more than likely bruises on his body, but Oto would
never know. Sono wouldn't say anything. Not if he valued his hands, he
wouldn't. 
'Remember, you tell anyone about this, anyone at all, and I break your pretty
little hands. You very well can't draw with no hands, can you?'
Chinos loins began to burn again and he couldn't do anything with Oto standing
in his way. But alongside the burning want came the horrible taste of disgust,
something Chino was able to hold down for a time. It had been every night this
week and he was getting quite surprised at how sneaky he was being. But he also
knew that this luck would have to run out eventually. 
He even contemplated taking the child for himself, running far away with him,
somewhere no one would find them. It was a ludicrous dream; Kenji would not
stop until they were found and Naomi would beat him down into nothing. But he'd
still try his luck. 
It would have to be soon though. He couldn't keep this up anymore, the sneaking
around, the threatening. 
Meanwhile, Oto sighed and banged his fist against the door, frustrated that he
wasn't getting through to his brother in the slightest. He heard the front door
open downstairs, telling him his mother was home and he turned on his heel,
kicking his brothers door, yelling, 
"Fine, be a baby for all I care! You can just rot in there, you spoiled brat."
Oto didn't even look back as he walked away from the door, angrily grumbling to
himself. He only turned back to snap off at Chino, 
"If you're trying to help, don't waste your time. Let him sulk. He needs to
grow up some time and not be so moody. Just leave him be."
The boy said nothing more and walked downstairs, out of eye and ear shot. Chino
could not believe his luck today. This was perfect. He had no idea how much
this was helping him in the long run. 
"Holy shit...holy fucking shit yes..."
He faced the door and set his hand on it, mind racing with thoughts and ideas,
his cock already swelling in his pants. Taking a minute to compose himself once
more, he walked back to his guest room and shut the door, pacing back and
forth, a wicked smile on his face. This was the perfect chance for him to do
what he wanted. That boy could be all his if he played his cards right. 
He could snatch the boy up later this week if he wanted, drug him so he
wouldn't move or struggle. He wouldn't even be awake to realize what would be
happening. Chino could take him out of Japan, somewhere far away...like
Europe...no, maybe not Europe. He couldn't go back to America, that was for
sure...maybe South America. He hadn't been there before and it seemed like a
great start. He'd have his own house, lock the boy in a cage and pull him every
night for his use. No one would ever know where they were. His family would
never find him. He'd probably go the extra mile and leave a ransom note,
stating that the boy was his now, change his name and everything. Then...then
when Sono grew up, maybe even hit 13, Chino could start teaching him about the
rest of his sexual awakenings. It sounded amazing, it sounded perfect, it
sounded....
.....
It sounded like a death wish. Chinos mind suddenly cleared and he gasped to
himself, sitting on his bed and running both hands through his hair, eyes wide
and the taste of bile on his tongue. 
This was his best friends son he was talking about. How in the world could he
even think of doing something so horrible, so sinful. No. He couldn't do this.
No amount of his sick desires could convince him that he could do this. 
It had gone too far. He had to leave soon. If he stayed in this house any
longer, he'd do something unforgivable. But he also knew if he just up and left
without saying anything, Kenji would immediately assume something was wrong.
Maybe...maybe he could talk to him about this without giving away too much
information. Kenji was his best friend. He'd understand a little bit, wouldn't
he?
He clearly wouldn't tell him about him violating his son, obviously, but if he
just came out and explained why he left for so many years, perhaps Kenji could
help him, maybe get him into some treatment. He had done it once before and it
seemed to work a little bit. Yes, that's what he'd do. He'll talk to Kenji as
soon as he got home. 
"He'll understand, he has to. We've been through everything together. I got
that man more than he ever wanted and he's always thanked me. And he's always
tried to help me better myself...yes. He'll....he'll have to help me. Cause
that's what friends do. They help each other. He won't hurt me. He won't shun
me. I'm like his brother. He'll have to understand what I'm going through."
He kept pacing around his room, talking to himself, convincing himself of
everything he spoke aloud. And he didn't know that outside his door, Naomi
stood there, listening to him and pressed her hand on her chest, growing more
and more concerned with every passing second. Whatever he was referring to must
have something to do with why Chino left the states. And she couldn't stop a
gasp from leaving her mouth as she feared something serious. 
She had to call her husband and at least inform him of the upcoming
conversation. This was something he had to know now before it escalated out of
control. 
Her footsteps were silent as she walked to the master bedroom, pulled her cell
phone from her pocket and dialed Kenjis office number, waiting for his
secretary to pick up. 
"Thank you for calling Hanasaki-san's office, this is Anna, how can I direct
your call?"
"Anna, it's Naomi. Is he busy?"
"I'm very sorry, madam, but he's actually still in his meeting. They should be
done soon though, I'd say maybe 10 minutes. Did you want me to pull him out for
a moment so you could talk?"
The offer was tempting and Naomi knew this conversation couldn't wait for much
longer. She had to tell him soon or she was going to explode. 
But it wasn't until she heard the sound of a door opening and she froze,
thinking it was Chino making his way down the hall. Then she heard little
sniffles getting louder and her heart skipped a beat, running to her door and
saw her 6 year old son limping down the hallway, tears in his eyes. Her heart
then crashed as she spoke into the phone, 
"No, Anna, that's ok. Just tell him to call me the second he gets done with his
meeting"
"Yes ma'm. I'll let him know."
Naomi didn't hear the rest of the response before she hung up her phone and met
her son halfway down the hall, pulling him into her arms and hugged him
tightly, kissing his face. 
"Oh baby, you have no idea how happy I am to see you. Do you realize how
worried we've been about you? What happened? Locking yourself away for a week?
What were you thinking? Oh hell it doesn't matter right now. I'm just so happy
you came out."
She continued to kiss his face and shower him with affection before pulling
back to look him over, seeing his tired brown eyes and sunken face. His hair
was sticking out everywhere and she cringed. 
"Baby, you stink. Have you just been laying in bed all week? Christ, let's get
you cleaned up and into some fresh clothes. We'll use mommy and daddy's
bathroom, ok? Let's go."
Gently, she scooped her child up in her arms and carried her into her room and
into the large bathroom, turning on the tub and pulled down the drain stopper,
taking a moment to pour some scented bath flowers and oils in the tub. As the
water rose, she began to unbutton her sons shirt, peeling it off his body,
seeing how he winced a little. But that's not what surprised her the most. 
What surprised her was the bruises on his arms, more so his wrists and
forearms. They looked an angry sort of purple. Peering behind him, she noticed
some marks on the back of his thighs. 
Her mind began to race rapidly, her brown eyes narrowing in confusion. Surely
this wasn't just from bed sores. This was something different entirely. 
"Sono...sweetie, what happened to you?"
The boy couldn't give much response as there was another voice ringing down the
hall, making its way into the bathroom. 
"Hey mom, can go to the book store later? Miyuki called and said they have new
prep books and--oh my god, ototo-san...."
Otos words trailed off as he ran into the bathroom and hugged his naked brother
tight against his chest, immediately stepping back after smelling his hair. 
"God, did you secretly go dumpster diving while you were in your room? You
smell terrible."
The boy flushed and looked away while Naomi sternly reprimanded Oto for his
words, followed by, 
"Sweetie, go into his room and look around. See if there's anything out of
place. Also, take apart his bed. His sheets, pillow cases, everything and get
them in the washing machine. Remake his bed and come right back here. You have
10 minutes."
There was no negotiating with that. When Naomi gave a time limit, things were
serious. Oto nodded and ran out of the bathroom and into his brothers room,
instantly gagging at the smell. While the room itself was still clean, the
smell was terrible. It was like sweat that had lingered for so long with out
ventilation of any kind. On the boys bed, Oto pulled back the comforter and
sheets before turning his attention to the bedspread....he froze at the sight
of what looked to be a dried brown spot or two in random places all over his
bed. His pillow cases even had some spots here and there. 
Some yellow stains were in the empty areas as well and Oto didn't even want to
think about what had happened in the span of a week. He pulled the spread off
and yanked the pillow cases before gathering all the soiled cloth and went out
of the room to the upstairs laundry room, dumping it all in the large washing
machine, not even measuring the detergent, dumping it in with some liquid
fabric softener and turned the washer to heavy, hearing it roar to life. While
he took a quick breath, he opened the linen closet, pulling out a new spread,
new sheets and new pillow cases, running back into his brothers room and remade
the bed, pausing to open a window, letting the cold air pulse in, but also to
hopefully blow the smell away. 
It seriously reeked in here and Oto couldn't tell why. Even while making the
bed, he had question after question going through his mind. What could have
caused all this? Sono had outgrown bed wetting when he was 4 so it couldn't be
that. Could it have been the same thing that kept him locked in here for so
long? 
All these questions had Oto growing furious as he threw the last pillow case on
the bed, bolting back to his mother in record speed, only just running in as
she was washing her sons hair. She turned to face him and gave him a look; Oto
nodded, answering her unasked question and she let out a sigh of relief. 
"Good. That's one thing taken care of...here, can you finish up? Your father
called me back. I need to talk to him and we need to....have a discussion."
Oto wasted no time in rolling up his sleeves, taking his mothers place to wash
his brothers hair, loving the smell of lavender in his gold locks. As he
scrubbed, he turned his head to look at his mother, asking, 
"Discussion about what, mom? About Sono?"
Naomi sighed again, pulling out her phone and hit redial, shaking her head and
said, 
"No, Oto. About our house guest."
No other words were exchanged as Naomi walked into the bedroom, shutting the
door as she talked to her husband. Oto said nothing and turned his attention
back to his brother and saw how his brown eyes stared at him, earning a smile. 
"Hey, kiddo. You gave us a scare......look, I didn't mean what I said. I don't
want you to rot in your room. I was just scared. You weren't answering me and
you hadn't come out in days and I-"
He was stopped when he felt his brothers hand touch his wrist, a tiny smile on
his face. It made Otos heart sing and he hugged his little brother tight again,
getting shampoo in his dry hair and he chuckled, clearly not caring. He gently
pushed him back so he could rinse the water out of his hair, laughing when Sono
splashed him a little in the face. It was nice to have this little moment of
joy after a week of worrying stress. Oto splashed him back, tickling him under
his ribs, laughing as his baby brother nearly screamed in laughter, a very
satisfying sound to hear after so long. His eyes shifted towards his mother for
a moment, seeing how she paced around her room, phone in hand, other hand
waving around as she talked. 
She mentioned she and Kenji had to discuss their house guest....that was
clearly Chino...Oto knew he didn't like the man, but what did he do to make mom
so angry with him....
His eyes widened suddenly as he slowly turned back to look at his brother, who
was looking back at him, confused. Could that man have done something to his
little brother? Did he hurt him...Oto couldn't even begin to think about that.
There was no way. Father would have known instantly. 
Could he?
===============================================================================
It had just hit 8 pm when Kenji knocked on Chinos door, startling the man from
his book and his thoughts. He smiled and shut his book, setting it down and
said, 
"Evening, friend. How was work?"
Kenji said nothing, and Chino recognized that look on his face. He was angry
about something, but at the same time, conflicted about the anger. He leaned
against the door frame, staring at his friend and simply said, 
"We need to talk."
The blood in Chinos body went cold for a moment, but he kept his composure and
nodded, scooting over on the bed so Kenji could sit down. It was tense between
them for a moment. Neither man was good with these sorts of situations but
after the conversation he had with Naomi a little over an hour ago, Kenji felt
this could not wait another day. If it had something to do with his friend, he
deserved to know. Even if he had to ask himself.
Chino smiled at him, saying, 
"What's on your mind, Ken? Something happen?"
"Yeah...yeah, I'd say so....listen, Naomi called me today and...told me some
things...things you said to her. Something about the reason you left
America..."
The smile Chino had on his face faded in a nanosecond as he scowled, saying, 
"Oh...so she did tell you, huh. I told her that in confidence. She had no right
to-"
Kenji stopped him by glaring hard at him, snapping off, 
"Chino, she's my wife. I expect her to tell me these things if she feels
they're important....and you're my best friend...I'd say this is pretty fucking
important for her to tell me. Especially because you didn't even come clean to
me about it."
"I understand that. But even still-"
"But nothing. She said you hurt someone serious and that's why you left
America. But you didn't tell her anything else. I'm asking you now, as your
friend....what did you do? Maybe I can help you."
Chino gaped at Kenji for a moment, eyes shining. He knew it. He knew Kenji
would understand him if he just explained it all. He folded his hands together
and sighed, saying, 
"Well, I left Japan after dropping out of medical school for some...pretty
stupid reasons. I was bored and I felt like I could do more if I explored the
world. So I stopped in this state...Maryland...to see what I could do. I ended
up staying there for 7 years. Learned English, got a job as an assistant at
this children's clinic...it was great. I love what I did there. I met so many
wonderful people, Kenji. And I knew that I could make something of myself
there. I was happy..."
Chino stopped talking for a minute to exhale, running his hand through his hair
and looked at his friend, who watching him with hawk like eyes. The man
chuckled and continued, 
"One day, this man came in with his son, little 10 year old, cute little thing.
Remember I said that your son reminded me of a kid I knew in the states. That
was this kid. Murphy Bricks. Blond hair, blue eyes, horrible diet, haha. His
father brought him in one day for a check up, saying that Murphy was
complaining of major stomach pains. Originally, the family thought it was
because of all the junk food he ate. But I found out it was actually a stomach
virus and prescribed him some medicine, along with a bed rest referral. The kid
and I got along through out his whole physical and I even got along great with
his dad. We became fast friends and I became like a family member to them. I
ate dinner at their home, played golf with Mr. Bricks every Sunday. It was like
I achieved my dream of proving something of myself."
Kenji was beginning to get confused. Naomi had mentioned something about Chino
ruining someones life and that's why he left. Surely there was a part he
missed. He said nothing and allowed his friend to continue talking. 
"Well, one night, I was closing up the clinic and I get a frantic call from Mr.
Bricks, saying that Murphy was puking a lot and crying about a migraine and
begged me to come over. In America, they don't really have house call doctors
anymore, but because I knew the family personally, I was more than willing to
look at him. It turns out he had eaten something pretty old and his body just
rejected it. He was fine, but I told him to stay in bed for the
night....well...his father asked if I could stay a bit longer so he and his
wife could run into town for something and they didn't feel like leaving their
son alone. I, of course, said yes....at some point I went up and checked on
him, seeing that he was sleeping...he looked so
peaceful...so...vulnerable...I....I don't know what came over me. He...he wore
just a pair of pajama pants and...I couldn't stop myself. I...did things to
him..."
It was all staring to become clear now and Kenji felt his insides beginning to
churn once Chino said it. The man looked broken about it, staring at a wall,
not even stopping his story. 
"3 times...I violated that boy 3 times in a span of 30 minutes...fuck, it felt
so good...but when I came to my senses and saw him crying at me...I...I freaked
out. I grabbed my stuff and fled. I didn't even look back. I bought a plane
ticket to this place...Colorado and just...started over there. But the memory
of Murphy crying at me...I panicked and checked myself into a hospital,
thinking I was going crazy. I had never once had the urge to touch a child in
such a way and to do what I did...I was scared. I stayed in that hospital for 3
years and when I checked out, I thought I was ready to start over...but
then...about 4 months into my new life, I leave my apartment to see several
people staring at me weird, a mother screamed at me and I got confused. Then a
man approached me, asking if I knew a man named Joseph Bricks...my heart
dropped. He informed me that Joe was on a man hunt for me...for doing what I
did to his son...I was stupid to ask how Murphy was because the man told me
Murphy committed suicide, mentioned me in his note, telling everyone what I
did...I had no other choice. Before the cops got to me, I fled back home...I
landed in Yokohama and stayed there, thinking of what I was going to do...then
I realized you were still in Fukushima and I knew you'd be the one to help
me...and now you know and now you'll help me right? You'll get me into
treatment?"
The air was thick enough to cut with a chainsaw. The hopeful look Chino was
giving...it made Kenji even more sick to his stomach. This had suddenly become
so much more worse than he had ever imagined. 
Getting up from the bed, he backed away from the man, hand on his mouth, not
able to find words. It took him a while to find his brain and literally force
something to come out of his mouth. 
What came out was, 
"You...you're telling me you...had...relations...with a child...."
"Call it what it is, Ken. I had sex with him, yes."
God, just hearing it made Kenji double over, pushing back the urge to vomit all
over his floor. And fuck, why did Chino have that smug look on his face like
everything was ok. Did he really just say that he'd help him with this? Where
did he even get off asking that kind of question?
Moving his hand away from his mouth, turning his back to him, Kenji, as calmly
as he could, asked, 
"Where there any others....other than that one?"
"Kenji-"
"Don't you fucking lie to me, Chino! How many! It couldn't have been just one!"
Chino sighed and thought to himself, poking his chin with his thumb and said, 
"I wanna say...3. After Murphy, it was more like some 16 year olds I picked up.
But they told me they were 18, so that kinda makes me a victim too, right? You
work in the law, so that counts?"
"You had sex...with 3 minors...one of which you brutally raped...oh my
god....oh my god...oh my god...oh my god..."
Chino stood up quickly and walked over to his friend, extending his arm,
saying, 
"C'mon, Ken. I was honest with you. You asked and I told you. But you'll help
me right? I'm asking you as my friend. Will you help me get treatment? I know I
can reform into society at some point. So come on. I've helped you with plenty
of things growing up."
Kenji turned to face him quickly, eyes wide and near black with hidden rage.
Chino noticed and lowered his hand, backing away for a second. 
So many things crossed into Kenjis mind at this point. He hadn't expected
something this at all...he felt sick, he felt anger, he felt everything under
the sun want to burn him alive. Or at the very least burn Chino alive. 
Because how dare this sick bastard poison his home with this horrid knowledge.
Naomi must have had some idea; that's why she told him. And his sons, oh god
they were in this house....with....
A flicker went off in his head and he saw red in seconds, staring at Chino with
a dark, sharp look, asking, 
"Chino...did you touch my boys?"
A pause. 
"What? What does that have to-"
Kenji exploded. 
"DID YOU FUCKING TOUCH EITHER OF MY BOYS?!" 
Chino said nothing, but was not shocked to be asked such a question. He
expected it though. He was quite sure Sono hadn't said anything to anyone, but
he also knew the devastating results it lead to. 
After all, if Murphy were alive, he'd be 20 by now, living his own life. And
because Chino did what he did and fled...well, he came this far. He may as well
be honest. 
"You have my word, Ken. I have not touched them."
It did little to calm the man down and Chino felt ridiculous for lying. But now
that he was caught, it was time to act quickly. 
"Get...the fuck out of my house."
Well, Chino certainly wasn't expecting that. His eyes widened and he asked, 
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Get your stuff and leave. Do not come back here...do not call me ever again."
"I don't get it. I came here just to talk to you about-"
"You came here under the guise of a fucking holiday! You're standing here
telling me that the only reason you came here was to get my legal help and put
you in treatment...for something so disgusting...no. I stand by my word. Get
out of my house."
"Kenji, are you serious? I'm asking you for help-"
"There is no help for people like you. Had I had any idea this is who you were,
I would not have subjected my family to this. Look at this through my
perspective. I'm a father. I have two sons. The fact that you told me this
putrid story makes me fear for them even more now...no...no, I refuse to help
someone who thinks it's ok to do this and flee like a goddamn coward...take
your shit and get out of my city. And if you show your face around my family
again...there is no God or Devil that will save you from the likes of me."
That was that. Chino knew he had lost this round. And he felt betrayed.
Crushed, he filled his bag with his clothes and other belongings, marching out
the door, but not before stopping to whisper to Kenji in his ear, 
"You'll regret this, you know. You can't protect your precious boys forever.
They're both bound to fuck up somewhere and when that happens, you'll wish you
understood me better."
Kenji could not give two hells as to what that meant as he turned to spit in
the mans face, venom coating his words. 
"Get out of my face, you snake."
And within minutes, Chino had left the house, leaving Kenji to sit on the guest
bed, trembling madly. He was grateful Naomi took the boys out to the park for a
while, to avoid any of this madness. But now the question remained as to how to
tell Naomi what he just learned. Oh god...she'd be irate. He already was at the
point of livid. 
No..he'd tell her later when things calmed down. He had to calm himself down
for when they came home...but something still froze in his mind. 
Chino had stated he hadn't touched Oto nor Sono, but somewhere in the back of
Kenjis mind, he sensed that was a lie. Oto would have said something
anyway...but Sono...he was more timid about things and considering he hadn't
left his room in a week, doing nothing but crying and...
"NO! I can't let myself think that! Chino did not touch my sons. He couldn't
have. I would have known about it...I would have sensed something was wrong..."
But even saying it aloud didn't make the matter easier. He looked at himself in
the mirror, trying hard not to imagine Chino going into either Oto or Sonos
rooms at night...with an enraged roar, Kenji punched the mirror so hard, it
exploded under the force, cutting his fist. 
This was getting him no where. And he felt like if he asked either of them,
he'd break down into hysterics. But he still was their father...he had to be
strong...
===============================================================================
Kenji couldn't sleep that night. He layed awake in his bed, staring at the
ceiling, internally beating himself up for not addressing this when Naomi and
the boys came home. When Oto had asked where Chino was, all Kenji had said was
that the man left early to finish his work. Naomi seemed suspicious, but at the
very least happy the man was finally gone. 
But Kenji didn't stop there. He pulled both his boys into a tight embrace,
telling them he loved them so much. Oto looked to Sono, who looked back equally
confused, but hugged back regardless. 
Now, at 1 am, he couldn't sleep a wink. Turning his head over to his wife, who
slept soundly next to him, he sighed. So long as this nightmare was over, he
was fine. He really should have beaten the living hell out of that disgrace of
a man, called the police, something. 
Why didn't he? Why did he let him off free with just a slap on the wrist?
Was it because Chino had once been his friend and Kenji was in shock to hear
how his so called friend had such a poisonous desire....so much that he
couldn't react properly. 
He was making himself irritated by thinking about this. Getting out of bed, he
walked to his bathroom and turned on the sink to splash cold water in his face.
It helped a little, but after looking at himself in the mirror, he thought
otherwise. 
In the back of his mind, he was screaming. There was no amount of parenting
tips to help him through something like this. How could he even ask for help on
this? It wasn't like he could say, 
'My sons were quite possibly raped by someone I thought was my friend, what do
I do?'
Because the answer would always be the same. Kill the man responsible. And
Kenji wanted to so badly. Drive the barrel of his pistol into Chinos mouth and
pull the trigger. His own father had killed for the sake of his family. Kenji
had killed people to protect his pregnant wife. 
Killing for his children seemed like a no brainer. 
He groaned loudly, pressing a hand to his forehead and tried to take deep
breaths. All he needed was to take a sleeping pill and go back to bed. Put this
whole thing behind him. 
He opened his medicine cabinet, pulling out a bottle of sleeping pills and set
them aside to fill his bathroom glass with cold water. He didn't get far as he
noticed his hand shaking, shuddering as he willed himself to take a small sip
before taking the pills. The water glass went up to his mouth, 
and crashed to the floor the second he heard a blood curdling scream come from
his youngest sons room.
                             Backtrack 20 minutes
Sono tossed and turned in bed most of the night after his mother tucked him in.
He seemed to be much better, his fever had since gone away and he wasn't
coughing as much. Maybe the doctor was right. Maybe he was just stressed. 
He had every reason to be. Every night for a week....daddy's friend would sneak
in here...touch him and tell him dirty things. The child shook his head and
threw a pillow over his face, willing the images away. Chino had forced him to
not tell a soul...if he did, he'd lose his hands. And Sono was sure he needed
his hands for his life ahead. 
But it was hard. He didn't know how to deal with these things. The first night,
and every night since, Sono would sob in his pillows, aching all over from his
back down. He refused to leave his bedroom, for fear of Chino pulling him back
inside and hurting him all over again. 
He didn't bathe, he didn't eat, he barley left his bed save for using the
bathroom. The sweat and the dried blood from before was starting to make his
room smell something horrid...he remembered when he finally left his room,
unable to stand the smell anymore and his mother was quick to shower him with
love...and a much needed bath. 
Oto had cleaned his bed, aired his room out and now, the smell was no longer
present. He could sleep easier now. 
Or he had hoped. 
Tonight had been a little easier; When Kenji came home, Naomi took the boys out
to the indoor parks and arcades for some fun while he talked with Chino. It
made Sono nervous all night; what if Chino told his father everything that
happened between them? His father would be furious...would he hate him for not
fighting back like true Hanasaki men should?
It seemed to not be the case as when they came home, their father hugged both
he and his brother so tightly, he could feel his small back pop. And it soothed
him immediately.  So much so that he felt better sleeping alone, or at least
attempt to sleep. 
His eyes were closed and he settled against his fluffy pillows, wanting so
badly to go back to school already. He had missed so much. Takeo was probably
worried sick...
His eyes snapped open when he felt his bed dip suddenly and his heart stopped,
turning his head to take a look...he almost screamed, he was sure he did, but a
large hand slammed on his mouth to silence him, earning a scared squeak.
It was Chino, but he looked...more devious than before. He smelt like alcohol
and smoke...he looked angry. 
"It seems your daddy found out about me...but don't worry, I didn't tell him
about us. I'm not that stupid."
Chino leaned down to lick the boys face again, once again making the child
shiver and tears bead in his eyes. The man chuckled. 
"See, now that he's found out, I have to leave here tonight. I can't stay in
Fukushima anymore, let alone Japan....But I am not leaving alone."
His hand left the boys mouth and reached into his back pocket, pulling out a
white cloth and a small bottle with clear liquid. Everything in Sonos body
switched into gear as he understood instantly what was happening. 
In an attempt to get away and off the bed, he got to his stomach and tried to
crawl away, only to have Chino grip his hair tightly, pulling him back up and
lick his ear, whispering, 
"Now now, no running away, honey. I've made my mind up. But it's alright. We'll
have a good life elsewhere. I promise. I'll take care of you every night, give
you everything you could ever want. Doesn't that sound great?"
Chino emphasized his words by trailing his free hand down the boys backside,
down to where his sinful acts always were and shoved three of his large fingers
inside, quickly covering the boys mouth so he couldn't scream out. Still, the
boy struggled to get away, twisting to scratch the man across the face and pull
away, his fingers slipping out and the boy trying to get out of the bed. 
Infuriated, Chino gripped the boys left wrist and slammed him back onto the
bed, taking his other hand, bringing it over to his crotch, whispering in his
ear, 
"Feel it. I said fucking feel it."
The boy didn't even try to move his hand. His arm was twisted in a weird angle
and it was starting to hurt more and more. Impatient, Chino released the boys
hand and gripped his hips, forcing his head into the pillow and slammed himself
inside, loving the way the boys muffled screams sounded in the pillow. Keeping
one hand on his hip and the other twisting his arm back, he began to thrust
wildly, laughing to himself, pulling the boys arm back more and more.
"See? This is what you get to look forward to every night with me. You'll grow
to love it, they almost always do. I'll be gentle once you do. It'll just take
some getting used to."
His thrusts didn't stop and he became so drunk with his lustful ideals, he
didn't realize how hard he was twisting the boys arm. Sonos face had risen up
from the pillow to breath so he wasn't smothered, but he felt all the bones in
his arm struggling to maintain. And when Chino gave a particularly hard thrust,
he gripped the boys arm so hard and so fast the the bones finally gave and
broke. The effect was immediate.
Sono let out a piercing scream in pain that it caused Chino to stop all
movement, fear settling in his bones. He backed away from him, slipping from
the boys bloody entrance and stared at him in disbelief. His arm twisted the
opposite way, tears of absolute agony pouring down his face. 
There was no escaping that. In seconds, Chino heard a glass break from down the
hall and a voice call, 
"Sono?! What's going on?! Are you alright?!"
Chino was prepared to die tonight. And he smiled, licking his lips, ready for
the plunge. The bedroom door slammed open and Naomi let out a scream of her
own, seeing her son they way he was. She ran over to him and got him on his
back, trying to calm him down through his screaming and thrashing around. Oto
was next to run in, almost dying on the spot as he saw what was going on. He
ran up to his brother, getting in bed and tried to help his mother calm him
down, seeing how twisted his arm was. 
Kenji, however, was rooted to the doorway, eyes wide in horror. This could not
be happening. There was no way...
A bottle rolled over to his bare feet, earning his attention as he reach down
and grabbed it, looking it over for a moment. His vision once again saw red.
Chloroform...
A chuckle was heard from behind him and Kenji then realized the blood in his
body went solid ice. 
"I told you...you can't protect them forever..."
Naomi and Oto, both shocked to see the man standing there by the window, each
grew more and more angry with every passing second. Naomi screamed out with
tears in her eyes, 
"You sick bastard!! How could you?!"
Oto pointed at him with a shaking finger, 
"I knew I couldn't trust you! You hurt my brother...you raped my brother, you
sick...sick!"
Kenji said nothing; it was as if he went blind and deaf for a moment before it
suddenly swam right back. Both his wife and oldest son were screaming at the
man near the window and Chino could only wave his hands in defeat. The world
was slow for a second as Kenji looked at his son in bed, tears pouring down his
pale cheeks, blood on the back of his legs and his arm facing the other
direction. It was like their minds were in sync for a split moment as he heard
Sono scream out, 
"DADDY! HELP ME!"
Everything shifted into focus and Kenji couldn't stop his fist as it collided
with Chinos face, knocking him against the wall and onto the floor. Not even a
second later, Kenji gripped him by his shirt and threw him onto the ground,
straddling his hips and began an onslaught of punches to his face. He didn't
stop. He couldn't.
"I trusted you..*punch*....you were my friend*punch* and I trusted you!
*punch*....how fucking dare you*punch*...you lied to me*punch*....you swore you
didn't touch either of my sons*punch*...you fucking scum!!*punch*."
Half way through his assult, he stopped when he heard Chino laugh at him,
spitting his blood into his old friends face, saying, 
"You...haha....you were always so trusting....I didn't even try....to get to
your oldest...but....your youngest...haha...reminds me of the first boy...the
one I drove to suicide...a weeks worth...how does that feel now, Ken?"
A weeks worth...oh the rage in Kenji's body boiled over to a fierce volcano.
With Chino laughing and his baby sobbing in pain, Kenji felt nothing more than
pure, paternal rage.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!"
With one last punch to Chinos head, the man was out cold and Kenji pulled back,
shaking in fury with blood all over his clothes and skin. He stared at his fist
for a moment, his hearing coming back into focus, hearing Naomi tell Oto to
call the police. Oto then ran out to grab his fathers cell phone, running back
into the room and dialed 119, tears rolling down his face as he tried to
explain what had happened over the phone. 
Kenji finally stood and walked over to the bed, his eyes settling and he even
felt tears trickle down his face as he gently took his son from his wifes arms,
holding him close and gripping his head. Naomi set her hand over her mouth,
unsure of what else to do or say. Oto had hung up the phone, saying the police
and an ambulance was on the way, along with Henia and many of the other
division captains around the area. 
The man was dreading the repercussions of this day. No one would even think to
convict him of a crime, as he had a pretty solid feeling Chino was either dead
or dying, but he wasn't concerned about that. What the hell was he supposed to
say to the media...he knew they'd come around asking. 
Just the idea of his 6 year old sons rape plastered everywhere drove him to
more fury. He'd have to find a way so they wouldn't know. His family would not
go through the shame and the fear. He refused. He'd find a way. He always had. 
In a matter of moments, the front of their home was flooded with cops and
paramedics, taking both Sono and Kenji to the best facility in the area, while
cops found that Chino was, somehow, still alive after all that and took him to
the nearest prison hospital, far away from the family. Far away from
Fukushima. 
Kenji's fist was wrapped up nicely, but the family spent their time outside
their boys room, seeing the young child in a coma, tubes attached to his nose
and mouth, his arm in a tight cast. Naomi had been crying on her husbands
shoulder and Oto was pressed against the window, demanding to know when Sono
was going to wake up, tears staining his glasses. 
The man had no answer for them; He felt self horror after realizing he couldn't
protect his own child from someone so clearly insane. Someone he used to
trust. 
Feeling generous, Kenji had phoned the Mizuno family, having the father tell
Takeo that Sono would be out for a bit longer due to health complications and
in a private hospital...he left it at that. The boy didn't need to know
anything else. 
After a few days, Sono woke up from his coma, screaming from a nightmare
regarding Chino breaking into his hospital room. Nurses were called in to strap
him down, but Kenji and Naomi would have none of it. They all sat with him in
that room, comforting him and giving him as much love as they could. Oto tried
to tell Sono funny stories, but found he couldn't stop crying every time he
looked at his brothers broken arm. 
The whole family was strained; Sonos condition would most likely not get better
due to his fragile state. The hospital they were in gave them possible
suggestions as how to deal with something like this. And none of them sounded
appealing to either parent. It wouldn't sound appealing to any parent. 
But the next night, Sono suffered a night terror so severe his small heart
almost gave out and he eventually refused to sleep at all. It became clear they
had no choice in the matter anymore. 
So, 4 days after Chino was arrested for rape, sexual assault of a minor,
attempted kidnapping and many other charges against him, sentenced to life in
prison with no chance of parole, 6 year old Sono Hanasaki was admitted to the
Chiba Mental Institution.
And remained there for over 4 months. 
TBC
 
 
***** Chapter 6 *****
Chapter Notes
     This is more like an interlude chapter before we go on the next half
     of the story. Hope everyone is enjoying so far!
     Well, as one can enjoy sad stories like this. It only gets angstier
     from here and it only gets more upsetting.
     All of the sadness has to happen. Sorry not sorry.
A good amount of his staff had shown up for the mandatory meeting, which is
what he had expected from the beginning. Mandatory was just a word he liked to
use to fill up the conferance room and it honestly didn't matter if everyone
showed up.
More than likely, his announcements would be emailed throughout the company by
Henia later. It was how these things usually worked.
He wished this meeting was held on better conditions; but everything that had
happened in the last several weeks....no...months....it was draining Kenji to a
point of fury, something his staff had become familiar with, although not by
choice. It didn't help that he had spent all this time locked in his office,
screaming at his computer, throwing things at the walls whenever a phone came
through (of which his secretary didn't know anyone by the name of Dr. Mirotsu),
and near the end of the work day, Henia would find his boss with his head on
his desk, almost as if he were sleeping and the office would be in disarray.
Henia had suggested Kenji take a day or two off to clear his head, but from the
mumbling that he vaguely heard, he caught some snipits of 'not yet' or 'too
ashamed to face him.' 
It confused his poor assistant; it confused his workers and it didn't look good
to his potential clients and business acquaintances for him to be acting this
way. It wasn't like he wanted to act like such a child...considering it was a
child that was making him feel this way to begin with.
When it came time for him to finally make the call to schedule a meeting
regarding his behavior, he sat at his desk with Dr. Mirotsu to discuss
the...'progress' being made at the hospital...which wasn't much, but Kenji knew
to anticipate this. No one in his family had to go through something like
this...but then, he couldn't think of any family who had gone through this and
he felt pity for the ones who did. After the doctor made some suggestions (or
rather severe recommendations) as to what Kenji could do, being the sole
provider for his family, it was hard to think about. Kenji knew he could take
all the time he needed, but he also knew that if he were willing to take time
away from his work, he'd have to give his staff a reason as to why. It wasn't
necessary, but he felt it was the right thing to do. If Kenji were to suddenly
up and leave for months on end without any explanation, not even to Henia, it
would be chaos. And the man knew it couldn't continue that way. He needed to be
open with his staff about the less than appropriate attitude he had been
showcasing for a while.
Because even he was man enough to admit he had been treating his staff like the
lowest of shit. And that wasn't fair on them. Hence the out of no where mass
email to his company to muster in the main conference room at 2 pm sharp. That
being in less than 2 hours, it was sure to raise some questions. And of course
it did; he could see the concern and confusion all over their faces all around
the room as he walked up to the podium, papers in his hand and a hollow look in
his eyes. He didn't want to do this. The last thing he wanted to do was take
time off like this, but if he wanted any progress to happen, he needed to do
this.
With a heavy sigh, he stood at his podium, staring into the large room full of
his loyal staff, Henia sitting up front looking at his boss with a confused
stare. It wasn't like Kenji to just suddenly call a mandatory meeting without a
weeks notice. He was much more organized than this, even on his worst days.
This must've been serious...it had to have been. He hadn't seen Kenji this
drained at work since...since before Sono was born and he and Naomi were
fighting all the time. 
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the company's head exhaled and looked
out to his crew, speaking clear into the mic, the strain of his personal life
hidden deep that only Henia could hear. It didn't sound like exhaustion.
It sounded like shame.
"Thank you all for coming on such short notice. I realize you all have tasks to
complete, deadlines to reach. This will be brief, though I do have much to
say."
Kenji stopped and looked over his papers, having written a whole speech about
what he had wanted to talk about. He spent the last hour on it and now, as his
brown eyes gleamed at it, he hated his words on these sheets of paper. Setting
them down, he sighed again and said, 
"For starters, I apologize for my recent behavior and mood...I have no been
following my own standards on moral and it hurts me deeply that I put that
burden on you all. And while I cannot say that these last few months have been
easy, I can say I will try to not let them get in the way of what we need to do
to make this work. The people of Fukushima depend on us for legal protection
when others cannot and I will not slip so far to let such trivial things get in
the way of that."
There was a thump in his chest as he spoke those words, his heart clenching at
the mere idea of his situation. He truly didn't mean to say such a thing. He
did not mean to call his sons hospitalization 'trivial.' The image of his child
sitting in his hospital bed, ignoring nurses and doctors alike, it pained him.
He was a fool to put him in that place to begin with, but he was so mentally
and emotionally hurt by what had happened that those officials caught him at a
weak point, making certain that Sono was there longer than both Kenji and Naomi
would have like. 
Naomi would barely talk about it at first, feeling angry that they hadn't
caught onto it sooner. She would yell at herself in the mirror, calling herself
a terrible mother for not seeing the signs. Kenji could only comfort her the
best he could, though deep down, he didn't feel like the best father either. He
didn't catch the signs either, didn't see how Chino had looked at his own
child. 
He couldn't imagine the pain Sono went through by keeping that a secret. Before
they dropped him off at the institute, Sono had broken down and told them
everything, even including things he couldn't bring up to the police...Kenji
felt his blood bursting in earnest, recalling how he told the chief of police
to bust Chinos legs before hauling him to prison...in exchange for the threat
of breaking his sons hands. 
Since dropping him off, Kenji had only been able to see the boy 3 times a week,
always in the evening so he could have dinner with him. His work had chosen the
worst time to double up on summer projects and tasks, keeping the head busier
than usual. It wasn't that he didn't like it; the extra work did keep his mind
on things for a time before reality sunk in as he locked his office for the
night. He could only sigh. The only plus being that Sono was never truly all
alone while he was there. 
Naomi would be there first thing in the morning to eat breakfast with him, only
leaving for a moment to pick up Oto and bring him there so he could see his
brother. Then, on the weekends at 4, they would leave and Kenji would arrive an
hour later to spend time with him, leaving at 9 for lights out for the
patients. It burned him to leave his son there, even more so driving down the
long road home, always thanking whatever God was out there that the Chiba
Mental Care was not actually in Chiba. That would have been absolute hell.
The things that hurt the most was the look of joy Sono would have when he
arrived at 5:15, hugging his waist tightly and trying hard not to cry. Combined
with the look of heartbreak when Kenji would leave was even harder. Those brown
eyes would grow clear with tears and Kenji would hug him, kiss him, tell him
everything was going to be alright and to be strong. That this was not
permanent and that he'd be home sooner than he thought. 
It hurt to lie to his child more than anything and he could tell Sono was not
unwise to the deception. But he kept his head high and nodded every time,
giving his father a hard hug before he left. Sometimes, Kenji would tuck the
boy into his hospital bed and kiss his cheek, like they were still at home. But
that was only the part he knew. 
It stung to think that the whole family couldn't visit him, not for lack of
trying. Kenji had tried to sneak away from work and he had been told by Naomi
three times that Oto had ditched school to catch a bus out there, only to be
caught and returned to either the school or to the house. All attempts had been
unsuccessful. 
The talk he had with Sonos doctor made it a little easier, to say the least. He
had mentioned that the boy was making slight progress in his mental state, as
it was, only have a few break downs here and there. As per their agreement,
Kenji made it very clear that in the event of an absolute attack..not to sedate
the boy. Sono was almost drugged and snatched from his bedroom. The mere idea
of the doctors putting needles in his veins that would knock him out cold would
send his head into a frenzy. Naomi had mentioned to Sono once that the doctors
would not even think of trying to harm him and that the medicine would help in
the short term, but Kenji saw different. 
He only saw his screaming child in his bloody bed, crying out for his help and
that was all he needed to make his decision stand firm. 
Or so he thought. 
Naomi had called him paranoid, but she herself understood the fear. She
couldn't even comprehend what she would do if she had received a phone call,
telling her that they had no choice but to sedate him due to one of his
attacks. She'd be livid, scared, horrified, everything in between. 
And another factor Kenji had to consider was not just his own state of mind,
nor his wifes. 
He had Oto to think about as well and how he was handling this. 
For lack of a better expression, Oto was handling this about as well as he
handled tests at school without studying. He was panicking day and night,
constantly looking at the clock at school, waiting for the bell to ring at 2 so
he could immediately meet his mother outside and drive the 45 minute drive to
his brother. He hated that he was so far away now, even if it was for a
temporary amount of time. And no matter how tired Oto was from school, he'd
always be open armed for his brother to sprint into his arms, hugging him so
tight that his ribs would crack. He would tell Oto about his therapy sessions
and how he felt he was getting better, the saddened expression on Otos face
making it hurt more. 
For as young as Oto was, he was smart enough to know Sono was not going to
fully heal from this. There was no way. No amount of highly payed doctors from
anywhere would take back all that was done. He'd repress it, probably for most
of his adult life....maybe even forever. 
Instead of expressing his pain, Oto would smile and kiss his brothers head, sit
on his bed and talk with him for hours before having to leave, always with an
angry look at his mother, clearly non intentional. 
Kenji felt horrible for both his sons. His youngest was stuck in some facility
and his oldest was trying to be the big brother and be strong throughout, but
they're just children. Children shouldn't have to go through these sorts of
things. Children should not have to suffer rape and threats of
kidnapping....children should not have to be in hospitals just to cope with the
nightmares....children should NOT have to be scared of the thoughts of never
returning home, in fear of their parents not understanding the pain they
endured. 
Kenji felt sick with these thought coursing in his brain. The doctor warned him
of this, the regrets and the second guessing. He should have heeded that
warning. Because now all he wanted to do was leave his building, drive out to
that hospital and pull his child out, scream 'to hell with the consequences,
he's my son and I will help him the only way I know how!'
The results would only be more painful. Sono needed medical care and Kenji had
to trust these people to help his child push through it when he clearly didn't
know how. 
It had only been a month and already, Kenji felt like this was a terrible
mistake. All of it. If only he told Chino no to his request. If only he had
seen the signs of his son being hurt by someone he trusted. 
There was clearly no going back. The deed was done and his son had taken the
force of it. All Kenji could do now was internally hurt himself for not being
able to protect his baby and suffer alone. 
His eyes closed as everything faded in his mind for a moment, feeling his body
begin to shudder and the last thing he wanted to do was break down in front of
his crew. But it was tough on him. His hands itched to hold his son again and
he wasn't going to waste anymore time. The doctor recommended that Kenji be
more involved with his sons recovery and not just for three days a week. While
Naomi and Oto were there everyday and Kenji only on Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays, Dr. Mirotsu noticed a shift with the boys behavior during
sessions...violent shifts. 
Kenji opened his eyes to see the deeply concerned stare on every one of their
faces and he sighed again, clearing his throat, 
"I cannot thank you enough for your patience in the matter. I understand that I
have not been easy to work with as of late, but it is not without
reason...reasons of which I can't give yet...maybe ever. I only ask that you
trust me in this and have comfort that your head will not be so easily
distracted in the future...with that said, I am taking this time to inform you
all that because of unforeseen circumstances, I will be taking a short leave of
medical absence. As per the usual formation in my stead, I leave all duties to
my V.P in Tokyo, whom you can all contact should you have questions. He has
been informed of the situation and is ready to accept temporary responsibility.
I also ask my assistant, Henia, to send a formal email to the remaining staff
who could not make it to the meeting today. Should anyone have any further
concerns regarding my leave, I ask that you submit them to my email."
There was a moment of silence between everyone, people staring at each other in
disbelief and confusion. Henia looked to be the most shocked at his bosses
sudden announcement. Medical leave? Was that why that strange doctor was here
several hours ago? What could be going on that Kenji Hanasaki would be taking
sudden time off?
After that quick moment of quiet, the whole room burst into questions towards
their boss, mostly for concern and understanding. Henia remained seated,
quickly typing the email, almost absentmindedly, eyes pondering the situation.
And once he hit send, everyone quieted down and pulled out their phones,
confirming Henia had done his part. To which Kenji smiled at him and nodded,
saying, 
"Please, no one get too riled up. As I stated, this is only until I can get
this particular circumstance taken care of. I realize this is a bit of a shock,
but I can assure you that this has nothing to do with my own well
being...well...not entirely..."
Kenji had to stop himself from accidentally saying too much, instead clearing
his throat one more time, saying, 
"This meeting is adjourned. Thank you all for understanding. Now, let's get
back to business." 
Saying nothing more, he bowed and quickly left the room while everyone else
piled out the other door, ready to get back to their desks and continue with
the day...all except one. Henia remained back for a few moments, eyes narrow in
suspicion. 
He had caught Kenjis little slip and instantly saw how the man hesitated,
stumbling his words near the end. Something serious had happened. This was not
just because Kenji claimed otherwise. It had something to do with him, maybe
even his whole family. With that thought in mind, he stood and quickly made his
way to the main office on the top floor, already dreading the conversation he
was about to have. He was never one to pry into Kenjis personal life but after
being his loyal assistant for as long as he was, not to mention being a friend
to his family, he felt he should at least offer his help in anyway.
Finally to the top floor, he nodded to the secretary Anna, who looked at him
confused and quietly mouthed to him, 
'What's going on?'
She was holding her phone, referencing the email he had sent out just moments
ago. He mouthed back to her, 
'About to find out. Don't ask questions.'
She nodded and went back to her own work as he made his way into the office,
already feeling a change in the atmosphere. Not to mention a change in his
boss. 
Kenji had changed out of his suit jacket and dress shirt, changing instead to a
loose grey shirt and left his slacks on. His hair was disheveled, like he had
been running his hand through it rapidly. He was packing up his briefcase,
already eager to leave the office after that meeting. And when he turned, he
was greeted by his confused assistant, who could only ask one of many questions
to his boss...his friend. 
"Kenji...what the hell is going on?"
He knew that tone. Henia was not speaking to his boss at this moment like he
should have been....but Kenji couldn't find it in himself to care. He sighed,
expecting this and mentioned for the man to shut the door. As he complied,
Henia leaned against the door, watching the mans moves closely, seeing how he
began to pace back and forth around the office, occasionally stopping to look
at one of his pictures on his desk. 
After several moments of watching the man silently pace around, Henia cleared
his own throat and said, as professionally as he could, 
"Sir, forgive me if I'm out of place. But...it's not like you to do what you
just did. And you looked so defeated, so drained of anything. That's not the
Kenji Hanasaki I know and respect. I'm not asking you as your assistant, but as
your friend, what is going on? Why the sudden choice to take medical leave? Are
you sick? Is Naomi-san? The boys? And who was that doctor in here? What did he
tell you? My job is to help you with anything you need and-"
"NO. Your job is to do whatever I tell you and whenever I tell you and to NOT
ask questions. Is that clear?"
Henia was taken back for a moment by the dark tone in his friends eyes and
voice, but he stood firm, saying, 
"Yes, this is true. But we've been together for years now. And never once has
anything been too hard for me to handle as your loyal right hand man. I do
anything you ask me to. I run your meetings when you're swamped with paperwork,
of which I also help with. I contact international and national business
associates to discuss colabs, I take the brunt of all your work when you're
having a bad day and never once do I complain....I babysit your boys when you
and Naomi need time alone and you know I love those boys. I treat them like
they're my nephews, you know that. I've taken Naomi shopping when you were down
a car for whatever reason and she's like my own sister. I've done everything to
make your life easier and all I ask is that you trust me the way you always
have. Let me help you, sir. Just tell me what's going on."
God, he was making it hard to say no, Kenji could see that now. He shouldn't
have snapped at him the way he did but after that meeting, all Kenji wanted to
do was leave and Henia was his only road block. He was starting to get angry
again, seeing red and he let out a snarl, sitting in his chair, rubbing his
eyes to calm down and heard the man sit in the other chair. Something Henia
said had struck hard in Kenji's brain and he tried his best not to growl out, 
"Trust....how can I trust anyone again after what he did...."
"Sir?"
"How in the hell can I trust anyone else after what that bastard did to my
family...I took him into my home, fed him my food, let him sleep in one of my
beds and this is how he repays me...If I had the chance, I'd see him burn in
hell with my own eyes..."
Kenji stood suddenly, making Henia gasp for a second as those large hands
slammed on the desk, piercing red shades shooting through Kenjis eyes, daggers
into Henias own and the man gulped, unaware of where this was all coming from.
"You say you love my boys, Henia....would you...would you try anything with
them? Would you try to take them away from me? After all I've done for
you...would you dare take Oto and Sono from me...would you hurt them? Snatch
them away from right under my goddamn nose...would you-"
Henia could see exactly where this was going and was horrified at the
accusation. Standing quickly, he slammed his own hands on the desk and snapped
out, 
"How dare you ask me that! Why in gods name would I even consider such a
thought?! You know for a damn fact I wouldn't dream of hurting those boys.
They're family to me. I would die for them just like I would die for you and
Naomi-san...why are you asking me such ludicrous questions anyway? Why are you
accusing me of..."
"Of what? Say it, Henia. What am I accusing you of, huh?!"
"Why the hell are you accusing me of thinking such sordid thoughts about your
kids?! What kind of sick bastard would even think of shit like that?!"
"The kind of bastard that betrayed years of trust just to fuck with my family!
I trusted him more than I ever trusted anyone back then and he has to go and
lie to my face, hurt my son and even try to take him from me! I should have
killed him when I had the chance...I should have ripped his goddamn eyes out
and-"
A loud SMACK nearly vibrated the office as Henia struck his boss across the
face, feeling all the tension shift and nearly fade in a seconds notice. Kenjis
eyes faded back to its normal brown hue and he shuddered, touching his cheek
where his assistant hit him, turning to face him and was not surprised to see
the look of horror and anger written all over the mans face. 
"If you're quite done, Hanasaki-san...will you now tell me what's been going
on?"
A straining pause filled the room as Kenji let out a shuddering breath,
slumping back in his office chair and stared at his hands, seeing them tremble
and his eyes widened. This was truly getting to him more than he had thought
before. His wide eyes looked to his assistant, his friend and saw how scared
and concerned he truly was, sitting back down and reached over to try and give
his boss some sort of comfort. When Kenji pulled away, Henia saw a hint
of despair in his eyes. This ran much deeper than he was leading on. 
"Sir? I'm sorry for my unprovoked act. But you're behaving like a man
possessed. What's this about someone trying to take the boys away? Is someone
spreading rumors again? Do we need to shut down another anchor station?"
"No...no nothing like that....and no...not my boys...just one...fuck....I
shouldn't be here. I need to be with Sono...otherwise..."
"Wait, what? Something happened to Sono? What happened? Is he alright?"
"No, he's not...and that's my fear...I'm scared he won't be...damnit...Henia,
I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said what I said...you were not meant to hear
those things."
"Well, I'm all ears now. What's been going on? For the last month you've been
so hostile and your aura is so death like. What happened?"
Kenji said nothing, nothing but look at the family picture on his desk, running
his thumb over it and rested his head in his open palm. Henia tried to piece
things together, but it was becoming difficult to understand when his boss was
not giving him any clues. At least not ones that he could...wait a minute.
Kenji had said that he had a friend staying with them for a few weeks for
holiday and how this man was Kenjis friend in high school, his and Naomis'. And
his presence apparently made Kenji happy for the most part...up until a while
ago when Kenji didn't show for work for 6 days. And when he eventually did, he
was furious. People avoided him like a mamba, Henia only getting close to go
through his daily schedules and even then, it was tense. No one knew what
caused the sudden change, but Kenji refused to discuss it. He had been so angry
during a meeting that he left abruptly, not returning until the next day. Henia
had tried to ask Naomi over texting if Kenji and his friend had a fight, but
all he got out of her was that his 'friend' was no longer welcome in their
house or in their lives. It was brief and Henia accepted it for the moment. But
seeing how his boss was reacting to it, this fight, it stood to reason that his
'friend' did something that caused Kenji to explode. 
Not only that...Kenji had accused Henia of planning to take the boys away from
him...doing things to them...such a thought made the man sick to his stomach.
The very idea of doing such things to Oto and Sono....he would kill himself
before even attempting anything. 
Suddenly, the world became clear and Henia stared at his boss in shock horror,
seeing how he was avoiding his gaze. It all made sense. And just that sense
made Henia even more sickly than he ever thought. 
"Are you telling me that that so called friend of yours....did something to
him? Did he...did he touch him?"
When Kenji finally looked up at him, he gave a shuddering sigh and said, 
"And then some."
Now Henia understood 100% why Kenji was acting the way he was. And now he
understood the reasons why he didn't anyone to know. If word got out that one
of the Hanasaki boys was hurt in such a way...the media would explode and blow
the entire story out of whack. It would be pandemonium. 
No words were exchanged at first between them; Henia merely placed his hand on
his mouth, trying to find his words, anything. Kenji continued to stare at the
picture, thumbing over both his sons faces, feeling the itch in his arms
again. 
After a near eternity, Henia removed his hand and said, 
"I hope you at least kicked the shit out of him before he was taken in."
Kenji chuckled at that, removing his hand from the picture and said, 
"You'd think less of me otherwise?"
"I know you better than you think. I know you've killed people for looking at
your wife a weird way and I certainly know you'd kill for the boys....but...I
can see why you didn't kill this guy. He was your friend once. It's hard to
imagine a trust like that being broken by something so terrible....god, I'm so
sorry, Ken. I had no idea you were holding this burden."
"How could you have an idea. I tried so hard to keep this under control, but
it's like my control is slipping everyday...everyday I'm away from them...from
him...my heart aches. And he's not getting better, that's the worst of it. He's
suffering deep down wither he tells us or not. I'm afraid those doctors are
going to force him to repress this and one day...it just comes back full force
and he won't be able to handle it. And we won't be there to help him. That
terrifies me, Henia. I don't want Sono to be afraid of something like
this....god, and the way Oto glares at me most days. Like he blames me for his
brother being there...I know he blames me and he has every right to. It's not
like I truly wanted to put him that hospital...fuck I don't know what I'm
doing. This is beyond my knowledge of what to do..."
The man was having a near panic attack, Henia could see that. Getting up from
his chair to offer assistance, Kenji raised his hand to decline and mention to
sit back down, which the man did slowly. 
"It's my fault..I know it is. And I'm going to fix it. I refuse to let anyone
touch Sono the way Chino did. I'll kill anyone who tries....but...I need time
to collect on this. That's why I'm leaving for a while, Henia. I need to be
with my family and I was stupid to think otherwise....do you understand and
trust me on this?"
Henia gave his usual, loyal smile, getting to his feet and bowed, saying, 
"I do as you ask, Hanasaki-sama. And believe me, I won't tell a soul about
this. You have my word. Just go. I'll cover the rest of the damage here. And
I'll be certain that no one tries to contact you...you know, unless the
building is on fire."
Kenji chuckled again and got to his feet, grabbin his jacket and briefcase,
making his way to the door with Henia close behind him...then Kenji stopped and
turned to face the other man, nodding at him. 
"I cannot tell you how grateful I am for having you here, Henia. You've gotten
me out of some deep shit since I took over and words can't express-"
Henia stopped him with a hand to his shoulder and a soft smile, saying, 
"Think nothing of it, sir. The honor of being your assistant is mine alone. I'm
proud to say I work for you. Now, enough of this sappy shit. Go and be with
your family. Give Naomi my hello, give Oto a hug and...give Sono my love. I
wish him the best of recovery."
Kenji nodded again and opened the office door, hearing Henia leave from behind
as he turned to lock the door, immediately glancing at Anna, who looked greatly
worried at her bosses state of appearance. He said nothing but gave her a soft
grin before leaving with Henia to the elevator, sighing to himself as he pulled
out his phone, seeing a text from Naomi, stating that she was going to pick up
Oto and take him to the center. 
He surprised her in seconds telling her that he was taking time off to be with
them and she had called him instantly, crying over the phone and he even heard
Oto in the background, giving a snarky reply. Henia chuckled as he heard the
exchange, giving his boss an awkward bow as Kenji left the building to the
valet, giving the driver his property ticket. 
To his own surprise, he had beaten Oto and Naomi to the center only by a minute
and they soon walked down the hall to the visitors grounds, which was being
help outside for the day and they saw him sitting under a tree, eyes looking up
into the sky, almost a dead gaze in his brown orbs. His arm was still in that
sling, something Oto really hated looking at, but chose to not address it. He
looked lonely and miserable... Kenji felt his heart skip a beat. He truly
needed this; He needed to be with his child at this very moment. Weeks of self
hating and trying hard to avoid the obvious was not making things easier. His
son was hurting, he saw that clear as day. The man inhaled his self doubts for
a moment, calling out for him and was filled with sudden joy to see the look of
elation on his face, gloom in his his eyes forgotten as he ran to them, jumping
into his fathers arms and let out shaking sobs, immediantly crying that he
didn't want to be here anymore and that he wanted to go home. 
This hurt them all; nothing would make them more happier than to take the boy
home today. Even more so as he cried in his fathers chest, hands gripping his
shirt tightly. Kenji and Naomi exchanged knowing glances.
--
They were smart to leave Oto with his brother outside. The amount of burning
rage that formed in both parents was threatening to boil over. 
Over 4 doctors had reported to have forced the boy into his therapy sessions,
each time being more hostile and aggressive, even biting one of the nurses and
running back to his room, pushing a chair under the knob so they couldn't get
in as he cried for his mother and father. 
To add more to the mix, Sono's attitude had not improved since adding a new
medicine to his regime, something neither parent knew at all. After reading the
side effects of one of the pills (how many pills could they make a child take
here?!), Naomi exploded after reading one of the effects being random acts of
aggression and violent mood swings, some of which could become permanent and
could lead to suicidal thoughts if not monitored. 
Kenji was thrown for a loop; He could only listen as his wife screamed at the
doctors for hiding this information from them, threats of a lawsuit coming into
the fray. His head was beginning to pound as he forced Naomi to sit back down
and at the very least listen to what the doctor had to say. 
It wasn't good. 
Because of the boys violent mood shifts being so sporadic, topped with the
increase of his night terrors and panic episodes, Dr Mirotsu suggested
extending his stay at the center for further evaluations. That would mean his
stay would be for another 2 months. 
Kenji finally exploded as well. 
"That's horseshit! You said no later than a month and a half!"
"I understand, Hanasaki-san and I can appreciate you and your wifes concerns.
But I feel strongly that Sono-kun is not ready to leave here yet. There's still
more we can try and do for him. He needs more care-"
"You are not pumping my 6 year old son with more medication! You didn't even
bother telling us about this new pill you've been giving him! Did you ever stop
to think that this is what's causing his aggression?!"
"We have considered that, but it is in fact necessary. Young children and even
young teenagers are more prone to these sorts of things when troubled with deep
trauma. The only way for Sono to truly help himself is to deal with different
outsources. Not to mention his arm...it's healed a little bit, but not enough
to grant a pass out of his sling..."
The look Naomi was giving the doctor was the same look Kenji was giving him...a
solid match...a look of stupidity. 
"What kind of logic is that?! What happens if my son attempts suicide while
he's here, huh?! Then what?!"
"Ma'am, I understand your concern-"
"Do not talk down to my wife or even myself like we don't know! You listen to
me now. If anything.....ANYTHING....happens while we're not here and you don't
tell us, I will rain hell upon this place. Don't think for a second I will
waver just because of a few progressions Sono may have here. I'm done speaking
with you...Naomi, c'mon. We still have some time before visiting hours are
over."
He walked past the desk to the door, ignoring the doctor but certainly hearing
Naomi cry out, 
"You mean to tell me after all this, you're still going to leave him here?! I
can't do that, Kenji! I can't leave my baby in a place where I don't know
what's happening! I just can't do that! I'm his mother, for gods sake! I should
be able to help him!"
It pained him hard to see his wife cry and it hurt even more that it was
something he didn't intend to do. He didn't want to leave Sono here after
discovering these horrid truths, hell, Sono didn't even want to be here anymore
and the pills were probably why. But this was the agreement the courts had when
the boy was released after being interviewed. The judge made it clear that he
agreed with the doctors choice and that Sono needed to seek treatment. Kenji
may be above certain aspects of the law, but not this much. 
He knew that Naomi knew this too. 
They left 2 hours later than visiting hours and Sono broke into a ball in his
bed as Oto hugged him, kissed his head and tried to make him feel better. He
hated the fact that his baby brother was still stuck here because of a stupid
order. He wanted to scream at his father but it would do not good. 
Sono had already done plenty of that, begging to know why Kenji and Naomi were
abandoning him here, much to their heart crushing sadness. Naomi hugged her
son, telling him that he had to stay to get help, better help than they could
give. She hated herself for saying it, mostly because it was true. 
Kenji tried all he could to make Sono understand, but the boy was not having
it. He screamed and sobbed, begging to go home, to go back to his life. It was
all Kenji could do to not break the law he had to uphold just to take his son
out of this place. 
They had to leave eventually; the boy had tired himself out and fell asleep.
Oto was in tears as they left to their cars, feeling horrid for being able to
do anything else. He wasn't going to be able to focus on school with his baby
brother so miserable. He didn't care about passing anymore. It wasn't worth
anything if Sono wasn't there to cheer him on. 
Even as they took seperate cars home, Kenji had to pull off to the side of the
road, the sounds of his son sobbing deafening his ears...it caused tears to
roll down his cheeks, crying into his steering wheel. 
When he had returned home, he found Naomi and Oto on the couch waiting for him
so they could talk...Kenji didn't need an explanation. He had a feeling he knew
what it was about. 
1 month and a half turned into 2 months and soon, 2 months turned into 4. 
After 4 months, they were finally able to bring Sono home. The amount of kisses
and love he received from everyone made the boy smile to them and return all
their affections, especially Oto, who wouldn't release his brother to anyone
after he had his turn. 
Naomi was quick to start cooking all the boys favorite foods as a welcome home,
somber as it was. 
Kenji was elated to having his son home once again, but noticed something that
worried him to his core. 
At 6 years old before all this hell had taken place, Sono was bubbly and
vibrant, shy but eccentric all at once. He was a happy child and he loved being
excited. 
Now, at nearly 7 years of age after leaving the hospital, Sono was not the
same. He smiled, but there was little happiness behind his smile. It was a
contentedness rather than happiness. He was still excited, but it was a more
mellow sort of excitement. He was no longer eccentric....he was just
quiet....all the time. 
He still loved to draw and was still eager to practice with his manga training
guides, but Kenji could see the fight in Sono was nearly gone. That hospital
had messed him up so much more than Chino quite possibly ever could. 
He barley said much of anything unless spoken to or had something interesting
to say. At dinner, he would pick at his food, eating small chunks here and
there before asking to be excused. 
His school life had also taken a drastic hit; no longer did those kids make fun
of him or any variant. His friend Takeo had seen to it that they would leave
him alone or suffer some serious beat downs...speaking of which...Takeo seemed
to have a very emotional reaction to seeing Sono again after nearly 4 months. 
The moment Kenji dropped him off back to school, he saw Takeo run up to him and
hug him, tears in his eyes, so happy to see his friend again...Sono barley
returned the hug. 
Something truly did change Sono during his time there and Kenji immediately
regretted leaving him there for as long as he did. He hated himself for leaving
Sono at that hospital and like before, the same memory stuck hard in his head
and the same mantra was layed before him. 
The deed was done and his son had taken the force of it. And once again, all
Kenji could do was internally destroy himself for not being able to get his son
out when he knew he should have...now it was back to square one. Sono was
suffering in a different way. 
Hopefully, this time, he wouldn't have to go through this alone. 
Not again. 
 
 
 
***** Chapter 7 *****
                 You'll grow to love it, they almost always do
                                        
                 You'll grow to love it, they almost always do
                                        
                 You'll grow to love it, they almost always do
                                        
                 You'll grow to love it, they almost always do
 
Brown eyes weakly opened in the darkness in his bedroom, cold sweat beading
from his forehead as he tried to regain his breathing.
As he slowly sat up in bed, his head began to pulse, making him groan and
clutch the left side of his temple, shuddering at the force of the dream. Even
as he peered over at his alarm clock, he groaned again, seeing it was already 5
am, exactly 30 minutes prior to when he usually woke up for school. It was an
ongoing problem with him lately, waking up so much earlier than his actual
alarm and it always seemed to drag him down for the rest of the day. Luckily,
there were ways around that, but today just seemed like another morning of
constant headaches and troubles.
With a heavy sigh, Sono got out of bed, turned off his alarm, and walked to his
bathroom, turning on his light, eyes squinting for a moment at the brightness
before reaching into his medicine cabinet, pulling out a container of pills,
popping two into his mouth and swallowed them dry, exhaling in relief.
A typical morning was just taking two of his anti anxiety medication before
separating his other two bits of medicine in a container...just in case he had
an episode at school, which wasn't often when he was around Takeo, but when
they weren't together, the pills seemed to help a lot.
After separating his medication into a pill container, Sono set it back on the
counter before walking over to his large closet, pulling out his uniform and
tossing it on his bed and pulled out his school bag, also tossing it on his bed
before stripping out of his pajama shirt. If he was already up so early, he may
as well get ahead of his own mixed around schedule.
Once he removed his pajama pants, he reached into his dresser drawer, pulling
out a pair of black boxers and grimaced at them before tossing them behind him
and pulled a blue pair out, slipping them on and grabbed his uniform pants,
settling them on his hips and buckled the belt. As he grabbed the white blazer
of his uniform shirt, he stopped to look at himself in his mirror, brown eyes
saddening at the sight.
Ever since he was discharged from the hospital so long ago, he had gone through
some stark changes with his appearance. He let his hair grow past his
shoulders, only cutting it when Oto had mentioned he was starting to look like
a girl, which in turn caused Sono to panic and nearly chop off his entire mop
of blond hair. Thankfully, his mother stopped him and lightly cut the rest,
leaving an even layer on his neck, which quickly grew back and soon, his hair
fell just above his shoulders and his bangs he just didn't bother with, letting
them fall over his eyes.
He was thin...scary thin. He recalled when he was younger, he could eat
anything and everything he layed eyes on with a smile, but after all that
happened, Sono didn't didn't feel as hungry as he did back then. The hospital
had small portions of food that they fed to patients, especially ones with
eating disorders, of which he almost developed during puberty, and was used to
not eating as much as before. When he stretched, he could see his ribs and see
how sunken in his stomach had become. It made him feel disgusted, but didn't
think much of it after a while. This was the way things were now. He had to
accept that.
With another heavy sigh, he sipped on his blazer, buttoning it up before
pulling the uniform coat over his arms, not bothering to button the coat as he
staggered over to his desk, pulling his homework from the top drawer and
slipped the papers into his folders, walking back to his bed to put them in his
bag.
Around this time, he turned his head to see his clock hit 5:30, which perked
his ears as he heard his brothers alarm go off down the hall and even heard his
fathers alarm go off as well. He chuckled a little. The Hanasaki family was
always up bright and early to start their days. It made him think a little of
the routine they all had developed over the years.
His mother would always wake up at 5:30, sometimes earlier, and make her way
downstairs to cook breakfast for her men, always with a smile on her face.
Sometimes, she'd cook different meals for each of them, considering that Sonos
body rejected certain foods after a number of years. After Oto and Sono went
off to school and Kenji went to work, she'd clean up the large house, go
shopping either alone or with friends, then spend the remainder of her day
lounging until Sono came home from school at 3. At that point, she'd make an
after school treat as he did his homework. She'd then start preparing for
dinner at 4, making sure it was ready by 5:30 for when Kenji and Oto came home
so they could sit and enjoy some family time. Her day was simple and she loved
it. There would be the occasional surprise in her day, say Kenji or Oto stayed
late with work or cram school, or Sono would be with Takeo after school, then
she'd smile and sit back for a while longer.
Kenjis day was nearly the same as it ever was. Up before the sun and home just
as it began to set. Ever since Sono was released from the hospital though, he
started taking extra care to be home more when he could, showering his wife and
sons with love and affection. He tried hard not to become too affectionate, but
with Sono, it was almost like a guessing game with whatever his moods were and
he worked around that. Oto was easier; the boy had his own life to lead now,
but was always home when he needed to be. Kenjis work days had increased since
he returned from his long absense all those years ago, but it kept him busy and
motivated. He set a strick out time for himself: 5 pm, every day. That way,
he'd be home right at 5:30 to spend time with his family. Of course, it didn't
always work that way and he was always quick to let Naomi know ahead of time if
he were to stay late. She always understood.
But if anyone aside from him had changed their entire routine, Sono would have
to say it was his brother, Oto. The amount of effort that man put into being
with his brother was astounding, if not suffocating at times.
Oto had reached his goal of getting into that top high school two months after
Sono was released from the hospital, not to mention with the best score in his
entire class. He was certainly proving to be a top notch lawyer when he
eventually did get into law school. His high school classes took up a good
chunk of his time though, making him feel bad when he missed out on his chance
to see his baby brother get fitted for his own middle school uniform. Time had
just flown by so quickly.
Not just his school life, but his own personal life took up a good portion as
well. He and his childhood friend, Miyuki, had spent quite a bit of time
together in and out of school. She had come over a few times and got along
wonderfully with the family, Sono in particular, as she felt like his art was
improving so much that she could see him becoming another Pietro Lorenzetti. He
would just smile and nod, knowing that really wasn't what he wanted to do with
his life. And she knew that very well; with some of her own allowance, she had
found a way to purchase him more training tools to becoming a great manga-ka,
much to his surprise and awe.
It wasn't anyone's surprise when Oto eventually asked her out on his last day
of his third year in high school. It also didn't surprise anyone that she said
yes. She and Oto were just right for each other and both parents already
considered her like a daughter at this point in their life. Sono really liked
her too, calling her 'Onee-san' anytime she came by.
Otos adult life had taken him to great places, graduating high school at the
top of his class, already working his way through university, attending cram
school if he felt understudied. He was a genius, but he was still Sonos older
brother.
Oto made that very clear. No matter how busy the man became, he would somehow,
always have time for his brother. They'd sit in either of their rooms for
hours, talking about their days or with Oto helping Sono with homework or
personal drama. They became so much closer after the boy came home from the
hospital and Sono loved having his brother around so much, even after he
graduated and was still willing to stay home just to watch over him when he
needed him.
Sono knew that Oto would have to move out at some point and he was slowly
preparing himself for that day. But he knew that his brother worked so hard to
becoming such a smart man, with a solid job working for their father no less.
Not only that, he recalled a night when Oto came into his room with a flushed
look on his face and without thinking, he had said,
'I'm thinking of proposing to Miyuki.'
And while that still hadn't happened yet, Sono felt flattered that Oto came to
him first...and still hadn't told anyone yet. The boy had jumped into his
brothers arms and hugged him, telling him he'd be a great husband. Oto had
nearly crushed the boy into a bear hug, kissing his head and promised that he'd
still be around for him, no matter what.
He promised that all the time, only starting when the boy had night terrors
after coming home from the hospital, Oto crawling into his bed and holding him
all through the night, cradling his screaming kid brother to his chest, letting
him cry it out.
Hard to believe that was almost 8 years ago already.
A loud knock at his door drove Sono from his thoughts, straightening up and
stared at his door, hearing,
"Hey, moms making muffins today. Get downstairs otherwise dad and I are gonna
eat them all and you'll have nothing."
Bless Oto and his playful attitude in the mornings. Sono smiled a small smiled
before grabbing his bag and opened the door, seeing his brother standing there,
all dressed up and looking handsome, yellow hair slicked back and his new
glasses pressed against his nose...not to mention a smirk.
"Figured you'd be up already."
"Aren't I always the first one awake here?"
"Maybe. But that's only because you can't sleep all through the night. I swear,
you're like a newborn sometimes....c'mon, I smell banana bread, so that makes
me think mom found another American muffin recipe."
With that, Oto turned on his heel and walked down the hallway, Sono following
behind him with a sad smile. Oto didn't mean to sound as condescending as he
did, but it was true. Sono didn't sleep all through the night anymore. He was
just....too afraid to. And while sleeping pills did help a bit, Naomi had
started hiding them when she felt Sono was becoming too dependent on them.
So sometimes, he had to force his body to sleep during the night, endure the
nightmares and hopefully get a decent nights rest. He hadn't really had one in
a long time.
Shaking the thought from his head, he walked down stairs to the kitchen and was
greeted with the smell of banana muffins, making him smile and take his seat at
the table next to his brother, who was enjoying his cup of coffee, the smell
wafting over to the young boy. Before he could say anything, a loud sigh echoed
through the dining room and soon, Kenji sat down, leaning his head back and
rubbed his eyes. Oto chuckled at him.
"I take it you're not ready for today's meeting with the officials from Tokyo?"
Kenji scoffed and threw a piece of napkin at him, a smirk on his face.
"You would know. You've sat with me and gone through all the important
documents, giving your own opinions here and there. Sometimes, I feel like you
already work for me."
"One day, dad. And sooner still, I'll be taking over for you-"
"Don't get cocky. I'm not that old, you twit."
Oto laughed and reached over to grab a muffin when Naomi set the platter down.
She scoffed at her husband and oldest, saying,
"Honestly, you two working together is going to be terrifying. When Oto gets
out of university, it'll be like having two Kenjis or dear god, two Otos in my
house. Sono, thank you for wanting to get into the field of illustration. I
can't imagine three business men living here."
Sono chuckled and looked up at his mother through his bangs, saying,
"Well, who knows? Maybe I'll flop as a manga-ka and if so, maybe dad can give
me a part time job with him to learn the ropes of the company and-"
He stopped when her fist very gently settled on his head, making him laugh and
her scowl at him, saying,
"Do not make jokes."
Kenji laughed with him, taking small bites of his muffin and watched as the boy
reached over to grab a muffin for himself, seeing a smile on his face,
something he very rarely saw nowadays.
While 8 years had passed since they were able to take him home, he was afraid
that his baby boy had gone through drastic changes...and for a while, his fears
were true. Sono just wasn't the same anymore and to a degree, he still isn't.
He wouldn't smile as much anymore, wouldn't eat or talk often and sometimes, if
Kenji was still awake and in his home office, he could hear Sono whimper in his
sleep, crying and pleading before he'd hear him get out of bed to take his
pills before attempting to settle down.
It was hard and Kenji still felt horrible for not taking him out when he got
the chance to. He felt like deep down, Sono felt as thought his family
abandoned him in that hospital and didn't care enough to pull him out until
they felt it was time.
He'd never forgive himself for that.
Before he could say anything, a knock at the front door startled him and that
was when Sono jumped from his seat, grabbed his bag and another muffin, saying,
"That's Takeo. We're heading in early to catch up on an art project we forgot
to finish. I'm taking him a muffin, if that's ok."
Naomi stared hard at him for a moment, hand on her hip, saying,
"Forgot to finish or just didn't want to finish?"
"I swear mom, we left it at school, but they're letting us go in early to get
it done....can I bring him this muffin?"
"Oh god, just go. Haha, have a good day sweetie."
She was quick to glide over and give her son a kiss on the cheek, making him
blush a little. He made him way around the table, giving his brother a hug and
Oto patted his arm, wishing him a good day.
When he got to Kenji, the man stood and wrapped his arms around the boys head,
kissing his hair and patted his back, sending him off. He listened as Sono
opened the door to greet Takeo for a moment as he slipped his shoes on, hearing
the other boy laugh a little as they left.
Kenji sat back down, taking a peek behind him out the window, watching the two
boys walk down the pavement, seeing how Takeos arm wrapped around Sonos
shoulders. It shouldn't have irritated him, but it did. His fist clenched a
little, but relaxed as he forced those thoughts out of his mind.
Takeo was Sonos best friend. Chino was far away, rotting in some prison. The
two were in no way connected. He knew very well that Takeo wouldn't hurt the
boy. Hell, Sono had told him that if anything, Takeo was beating back bullies
or anyone else who looked at him wrong, which was comforting. Takeo seemed like
a smart boy anyways.
Though, he didn't know the extent of Sonos long absence 8 years ago, and
hopefully, if Sono was smart, he'd never know. Kenji wouldn't dream of putting
his child back through those thoughts, the vivid memories. He doubted Takeo
would even come close to understanding anyway.
With that thought in mind, Kenji reached for another muffin, trying hard not to
worry about his youngest sons day. He was with Takeo all the time.
He'd be fine.
 
--
 
Not even 11 am and already, Sono was ready to crawl back into bed. With the
combined stress of his possibly failed math test and the fact that his and
Takeos art project only scored a 74 out of 100 due to them coming in early,
which was usually not allowed, his head was riddled with anxiety.
With a sigh, he pulled his English work book from his locker, setting it in his
bag and pulled out his pill container, debating if he should take them now or
if this was just a passing need.
He was never sure about these things, always being so impulsive about it and
downing them when he got the chance to.
But hearing footsteps behind him made him jump and throw them back into his
bag, almost afraid someone would see them and spread rumors that he was a
junkie...why that thought crossed his mind, he had no idea.
When he turned around, he saw Takeo walking towards him with a look that just
screamed frustration. Sure enough, the teen leaned against the lockers as Sono
shut his, brown eyes narrowing a little.
"Bad start?"
Takeo let out an exaggerated sigh, saying,
"Well, yeah...That art project thing really messed with my morning and I think
it spilled into my performance at gym. I sucked hard, let's leave it at that."
Sono chuckled a little, earning a confused look from the ebony haired teen,
prompting,
"You must've been in a bad mood if you actually went to gym class. Ordinarily,
you'd skip out and live to tell about it."
"Yeah and have my dad rip me a new one to boot. I don't get how you do it, rich
boy. You could fail out of any class and your dad just looks the other way.
Mine just yells at me and makes me do more chores just so I don't get grounded.
What's your secret?"
"Look, it's not that my dad looks the other way...it's just...well...he's
usually so focused on his own work and with Oto in university now, dad wants to
spend that time getting him ready to join the company. And he does get after me
about failing grades, just not as much. He knows I'm trying. He doesn't expect
me to be as smart as Oto was at 15."
The blond turned again to rest his back against his lockers, leaning his head
against the cool metal, feeling it chill the back of his burning head.
"Besides, if you really want one of my parents to get after me about failing,
you should talk to my mother. My dad may be the high end kind of guy everyone
sees and he might be powerful and all mighty at work, but at home, it's mom who
runs the place. I came home with a 79/100 score on a test and she about
murdered my eardrums with her lecturing. All dad could do was watch and laugh
at me."
Takeo chuckled at that, stretching and resting his hands behind his head,
saying with a large smile on his face,
"Man, I'm so happy I'm an only child, but after listening to how you and Oto
were raised, I'm jealous. Having a sibling to set the bar either so low or so
high and how parents just take it in stride. Haha. And I actually thought your
dad would be the one to have that insane temper I hear so much abo-"
Sono jerked his head towards him, a glare in his eyes, saying,
"Don't even joke about that. You don't know what that's like. Seeing my dad hit
that level of anger...it's really intense, even when you know it's not coming
at you but at someones else...I don't ever want to think about if my dad was
that angry with me...it's terrifying sometimes..."
Sono drifted off, shaking a little, holding his bag to his chest, almost now
regretting not taking his medication when he got the chance. But he felt a
shift in Takeo's stance; he stood closer to him and wrapped his arm around his
shoulder, bringing him closer, resting his chin against blond locks.
The blond froze for a moment, but relaxed in Takeos embrace, feeling his heart
beat settle down a bit. For a moment, Sono felt his eyes close, resting against
the teens chest, hearing his soft voice say,
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to joke about those things. I know that things have
been hard on you since you...well....you were in and out of hospitals a lot
when we were kids. I didn't know how to deal with that. I mean, I had just met
you, you became my best friend and then all of a sudden, you vanish..."
Sonos eyes opened as he looked up at his friend, seeing a sullen look in his
blue eyes. Those same eyes looked down at him and he continued.
"I don't mean to sound like an ass or like I'm always kidding around. It's just
how I had to deal with things when you were gone. You vanished so suddenly and
I didn't know what to do. I thought I had said or done something to make you
hate me and you transferred schools. I begged my dad to let me go see you, but
he was always like, 'Ohhhh no you don't. You don't need to get involved with
them right now. Rich people problems aren't like us normal people's
problems'...you know how he is."
The blond chuckled at that, recalling the time he fell into the frozen lake
while playing with Takeo and how his dad scolded him for it, calling him
spoiled and not knowing about these dangers because of his father. Sono never
really took that to heart, especially as he grew up. Takeos father was just set
in his ways.
"But I waited...I waited for a long time for you to come back to school. I
waited under that tree you always sat under. Heh, the other kids would give me
hell for it. Making fun of me and called me a loser for being friends with
you...I'm not really happy to say that I wasn't exactly civil towards them
after that, but just hearing them call you names really hurt me. You're my
friend and I wasn't going to let them bad mouth you like that. I really care
about you. You're the only person I felt any kind of connection to and I was so
happy when we became friends...then you suddenly disappeared. And I felt
terrible. I knew you were sick and I tried to visit you...then...you just
stopped calling."
Sono backed away for a moment to really look into his friends eyes, seeing the
level of hurt and care all at once. It touched his heart a bit; he didn't
realize how much Takeo truly valued their friendship and deep down, Sono knew
he treasured it.
"And so when your dad called us after not seeing you for a while, I was scared.
All he told us was you had to go to the hospital for a while. Didn't bother
telling me which one, why you were there...he just said you were sick...and to
be honest...I've never gotten over that. I was angry at your dad for not
telling me anything...I still am...I felt as though he treated me like a dog
just because-"
Takeo was stopped suddenly when he felt the blond hug him so tightly, he
dropped his bag onto the floor, shocked when he felt Sonos hands dig into his
jacket from behind. It was so sudden and Takeo found his arms moving on their
own, wrapping around the teens shoulders, hugging him back and running his
fingers through his hair. It truly did scare him back then when his only friend
up and vanished. Even when he returned to school, Takeo could see something in
his friend had changed.
He wasn't the same kid anymore. He didn't have sort of energy in him anymore.
And as they grew up together, it showed more and more how little energy Sono
really had. He hadn't lied when he said how much he cared for the boy. It was
almost scary how much he cared. The amount of kids he had beaten up for bad
mouthing the blond...Sono didn't know about that, nor should he have to.
Finally, after a while, Sono pulled back with a smile and said,
"I'm...heh, I'm sorry. You were making me feel so embarrassed with your
words...but they touched my heart, Takeo. I didn't know you cared about me that
much...I...I guess I could say the same for you. You really are my best friend
and I'm happy you stuck with me all these years."
"Hey, how else am I going to get such awesome drawings from cool movies? I'm
not gonna try, nope. I suck at drawing. Haha."
Sono punched his chest and backed away, wiping his eyes and couldn't hold back
a chuckle, even as Takeo calmed himself down and rubbed where his heart was,
saying,
"But I'm serious. I wanted to be the first person to greet you when you came
back. I just wasn't expecting you to be so...well...I guess emotionless."
"I know...a lot of stuff happened back then, Takeo...and one day, I'll talk to
you about it. I'm just not ready."
"I understand...just know I care man, and I'm here for you."
The teen smiled at him before nodding and reached down to pick up his bag,
while Takeo stretched again and said,
"Ok, enough of the sappy shit. I think we have what...a history test today
too?"
"I don't, but I know you do this afternoon. I think all I have left is an
english exam. Then it's just smooth sailing all day."
"I cannot wait for the end of the semester. One more to go and we'll be on our
way to high school!"
"That's if we pass the entrance exams. And I certainly don't plan on going to
that fancy school Oto went to. The stress he went through? God, I'd rather eat
dead rat."
Takeo laughed at that and patted his friends back, while Sono chuckled a little
at his friends reaction. Ahh he really did miss Takeo most of all out of
anything else. They laughed with each other for a little longer than they had
wanted, as soon, they heard,
"Mizuno! Hanasaki! What are you two doing out of class? Did you not hear the
bell?"
The prefect appeared from the corner and both boys looked at him in horror. In
the midst of their emotional talk, the must've not heard the bell go off and
when Takeo looked at his watch, it showed they were nearly 10 minutes late to
their respective classes. Without another word, Sono took off down the hallway
while Takeo ran the other direction, swearing off at the prefect as he passed,
ignoring how the man screamed back at him.
 
--
 
It was later in the afternoon when both boys walked through downtown, Takeo
eyeballing the shops while Sono carefully read his manga, brown eyes scanning
page to page, keeping a mental tab of each and every line and character design.
It had been a slow day, what with end of the semester testing and all; Takeo
had suggested they walk through the newer downtown hot spots, seeing if
anything caught their attention. Or rather, whatever caught Takeos eye since
Sonos were so clearly buried in his book.
After leaving what was thought to be a delicious cafe, Takeo was sort of bummed
out when it turned out to be a flop. Looking over at his friend, he scowled a
little when he saw the blond casually turn the page with his thumb, provoking
the teen to snatch it out of his hands, much to the blonds surprise.
Surprise turned to agitation as he snapped his head towards his friend, voice
laced with a tinge of irritation,
"Takeo! I was reading that!"
"No, you were observing it, there's a difference. C'mon, Sono, I asked you out
with me so we could see the new businesses opening up around here. You work too
hard as it is with this anyway."
The look on Sonos face said otherwise and Takeo sighed, raising his hands in
defeat and said,
"Ok ok, you win. But what I think you need is some sweets. Like...chocolate or
something. You always said you're a sucker for chocolate. Let's see what's
around."
Takeo ran ahead a few paces to scan the area, all while Sono caught up to him
and snatched the manga from his friend and set it in his bag, looking around
with him and stopped when he noticed something interesting.
"Hey, Takeo. It looks like someones moving into that open shop over there.
Let's go check it out."
"Moving into the shop? Like the apartment above it? That seems kinda...cheap,
doesn't it?"
"So what? That used to be an old candy shop my brother and I used to go to.
Maybe the new owners have something different to add. So let's check it out."
Takeo said nothing, but allowed his friend to drag him across the street to the
moving truck, sneaking peeks inside the empty building that was rapidly filling
up with boxes and large equipment. Sonos eyes widened as he said,
"I can't believe this place closed down. Heh, I remember Oto would steal candy
for me from here all the time. It's like a piece of my childhood is gone
forever.....is that a convection oven? Like the ones the girls talk about in
home ec? Must be a restaurant or something."
"Oh, it's definitely something."
The deep voice caused both Takeo and Sono to jump in their shoes, turning
around to see a smiling man behind them, a box in his hand. Takeo was quick to
help the man put the box down and he smiled bigger, wiping his forehead and
said,
"Thanks for that, young man. You never know what kind of muscles you have until
you actually try to carry something heavy. Haha...I see you boys are peeping in
my upcoming accomplishment."
The boys blushed, but Sono shook his away and stepped up to bow to the man,
Takeo following after and when they straightened, the blond said,
"Yes sir. Sorry If we're intruding. This building's been empty for a while and
it used to be my favorite candy store...I was just curious to see what was
coming in."
"Ah, no apologies needed. Yeah, the original owner looked like he was close to
the brink and I've worked in food service for a while now. Figured I'd move my
business to a bigger city. Fukushima is pretty beautiful, I won't lie. I'm
actually excited to get started."
"Where'd you move from, if you don't mind the question."
"Ah, my son and I are moving from Kyoto. I figured it'd be best since me and
his mother are divorcing and he's always so interested in my old line of work.
Haha. I used to be a film troubleshooter and I'd travel from Japan to America
in my youth after dropping out of high school...certainly don't recommend that.
But man, do I love movies. That's what Naoki wants to do when he gets older.
He's always been so into my old line of work and always asks about movies in
America. Such a curious kid he was. Kinda shocked him to shit when I opened
cafes all over Kyoto and such. But yeah. He wants to work with movies. Not sure
what specific job, haha, but that's what he wants."
The man stopped for a moment and laughed when he saw the bewildered looks on
the teens faces. Takeo looked a little confused by the mans eccentric speaking,
but Sono found himself immersed by it.
"I'm sorry, boys. Didn't mean to unload like that. I'm such an open person, I
swear. Probably one of the reasons the old bitch is leaving me...oh there I go
again. Haha, I never know when to shut up. My names Nazawa. Huri Nazawa."
He bowed to the two teens, to which they smiled and nodded.
"Mizuno Takeo. Pleasure to meet you."
"Hanasaki Sono. Happy to have you."
"Ahh, you boys are sweet. I think I'm gonna like it here. I've only been to
Fukushima once and I loved it ever since. Hadn't been back in so long
though...say...you boys are what, in middle school?"
When they nodded, Huri smiled again and said,
"I thought so. When Naoki eventually flies down here, I'm gonna get him
registered at the high school. He's already gone through middle school and he's
taken a bit of time off to help me get settled. So hopefully, when it works
out, you three will start school together....well...depending which high
school. I'm thinking of having him apply to that private high school up north.
I think he'd like it up there....oh no, not that fancy ass one, get that look
off your faces. Haha, I did my homework before I moved. Is that the one you two
are shooting for?"
Takeo wanted to shake his head, but seeing Sono nod suddenly threw him off for
a second. He didn't know the blond was shooting for that private secondary
school in North Fuku, but if that's where Sono wanted to go, he knew Kenji was
going to make it happen regardless of his grades. So Takeo would have to study
extra hard just to even attempt to make it in.
Huri seemed pleased and said,
"Awesome. I think Naoki will like the two of you. I'll have to call him later
and see when he's flying in. Probably won't be for a while though. His mother
is keeping him in Kyoto to help her settle too. Poor kids just caught in a tug
of war."
With a heavy breath, Huri reached down and picked up the box and said,
"Well, I better get the rest of this junk inside and help the movers before
they break my expensive ovens. Hope you boys stop by when this place is open.
I'm shooting for June 3rd. Gives me plenty of time since it's only January.
Nice meeting you."
The teens waved as Huri mentioned for the other movers to follow him inside
while the boys watched a few more moments. Takeo shrugged and turned to walk
the other way, Sono following him a bit slower than he'd thought. And from
there, it was quiet between the two of them.
Only until they reached the bridge at the Urimatsu canal that Takeo said,
"Why didn't you tell me you were shooting for the private high school? What
happened to not following your brothers footsteps?"
The question did take Sono by surprise, though, he wasn't surprised by the tone
in Takeos' voice. He had every right to be a little curious, but the hurt tone
caught more than just his curiosity.
"I...I talked to my dad and he was really pushing me to go to the admissions
for the private secondary when my first semester scores came in. He said that
my scores were great, but he knew they could be better and suggested it. We
toured the place and I found that I really liked it. It's no where near the
level of education Oto got with the secondary he went to, but this school has
much more to offer as far as art goes. And they have a manga training class all
3 years. You know how much that means to me, Takeo. My dream is to be a great
manga-ka and this could be my chance to actually learn from someone and not
just teach myself. And if I get in and you don't, I can talk to my dad and he
can pull some strings to get you in too if you want."
Sono had gripped Takeos hand during his explanation, only for Takeo to pull
away in a huff, grumbling,
"I don't want your dads money to get my own advancement. You shouldn't depend
on that either. You should try to excel on your own and not have daddy bail you
out when you get caught somewhere."
"Excuse me? How can you say that? You know I don't depend on my dad for
everything and I certainly don't depend on him for this. I'm just saying. I
want us to go to the same high school, Takeo. You know what I'm like around
people I don't know....you know what my anxiety can do when you're not
around..."
Takeo froze at that, seeing how those brown orbs averted from his gaze. He knew
what the blond was talking about, almost exactly. If Takeo wasn't around, Sono
would most likely go into a state of fearful anxiety, shutting people out and
have a panic attack if not careful.
Takeo made it clear to Sono that he'd protect him from things like that and so
far, he felt like he was doing a good job. The idea of the two of them
separating to different secondary schools made Takeos blood boil and he pulled
the boy into a hug, a quick one, and said,
"You're right....you're right, I should have thought about this...Ok. I'll
apply to the private secondary once it comes time for it. I'll make sure you're
not alone, ok? I promise."
The blond smiled and nodded in the teens chest, feeling him rub his back and
sigh into his hair. It was a comforting moment between the two of them, alone
on the bridge like this. Takeo felt like he wanted to solidify this moment. But
at the sound of his friends phone chirping at him, Sono knew that his free time
was up. He smiled and said,
"Sorry, that's Oto. He must've not gone to cram school today...I'm uh...I'm
going to head home from here. I know your house is closer but I want to clear
my head for a bit."
"Are you sure you can get by alone?"
"I'm sure. It's only 15 minutes. I'll be ok. I'll call you later, ok?"
"...Yeah. Ok, that's fine. Be safe getting home."
Sono smiled and lightly punched Takeos chest, only to stop when the teens hand
came up to grip his, his pale thumb lightly rubbing his palm. It was a
comforting gesture, so much so that Sono felt overwhelmed by it. A pink flush
fell over his cheeks and he smiled, reaching up to poke Takeos nose before
turning and walking the other direction.
Takeo sighed and turned to walk home, looking at his own hand, wondering why he
made such a strange gesture to his friend. It wasn't unusual that they were so
touchy...
Sono was such a shy kid, always had been. And over the years, he became
frightful and anxious, making it Takeos personal duty to protect him...but the
way he touched him just now...that gentle caress...he could still feel it in
his fingertips.
Bringing his fingers to his lips, he closed his eyes and pictured the moment
they shared just then, seeing how his friends brown eyes lite up when he
lightly touched his hand. It wasn't a secret that they were so close as
friends, but now, Takeo felt confused.
When his eyes opened, he weighed his options and decided to think about it
later. With a heavy sigh, he made his way home, trying hard not to think of his
best friend and focus on the verbal beat down he was going to get for nearly
failing his history exam.
 
--
 
When Sono announced at dinner that he was 100% shooting for the private
secondary school, Kenji was elated. Naomi was overjoyed and Oto was surprised,
especially when he had been asked to help Sono study for the entrance exam in
the next few months. He had orignally thought Sono was going to stick it out
through a typical public high school, but when he mentioned all the art classes
and manga training he'd get to do, it made sense and Oto said he'd be happy to
help him study.
So, later that night, they sat in Sonos room on his bed, going over the same
work sheets Oto had when he studied for the high school entrance exams. Just
looking at all the words and numbers made Sonos head hurt, but he was willing
to stick it out.
"Now, keep in mind that your entrance exam isn't going to be as difficult as
mine was. I went to a private secondary too, but your school is nothing
compared to mine. Just saying. Though it won't hurt to get your brain ready for
the hard questions they'll be asking. Are you ready?"
Sono nodded furiously, his long hair waving in his eyes and Oto chuckled,
reaching over to brush his brothers bangs back, studying him for a moment.
"I'm kinda surprised you went with a private school. I mean, I know dad took
you to tour the place what....a month or so ago? Didn't think it'd stuck with
you."
"It was the art courses, Oto. And the manga training. Did you know that they
have retired manga-ka teaching the classes? That's amazing! I'll be learning
from the best! Their techniques, their styles, everything."
"Speaking of which, have you decided what genre you'd like to draw? I mean, you
never really had a set idea when you first started drawing. It was just a bunch
of beautiful randoms."
"I don't know...I'd like to see where my strengths are, honestly. I've drawn
romantic scenes from movies before, but I don't know if that's all me. But
don't you think this is a great step forward? Learning from the minds of great
manga creators?"
"I'm just excited that you're excited. Haha, I haven't seen you this happy
since you were 6 and you discovered what echii was...though mom was not
pleased. Hey, you were really good at drawing like, rated Y harem scenes.
Mostly the kissing and such. You should try your hand at more explicit
scenery."
Oto smiled as those brown eyes gleamed at him, but narrowed as he asked,
"Really? You'd be ok with your brother being a smut illustrator?"
"Oh shut up, you know that's not what I meant. But there is a big market for
like...and I can't believe I'm saying this...M rated works. It's always in high
demand. But don't take my word for it. It's just an idea."
Even through his confusion, Sono let out a smirk as he said,
"Do I need to tell Miyuki you've been hiding some hentai from her? Otherwise,
you wouldn't have brought his up."
The teen laughed loudly at the look of shock horror on Oto's face before being
smacked with a stack of papers. Adjusting his glasses, Oto scoffed and said,
"Keep it up, brat. Or you'll be on your own for studying."
Sono eventually calmed himself down enough to settled back against the pillows,
a smile on his face which quickly softened when he heard his phone beep at him.
When he reached over to grab it, he was mildly surprised to see a text from
Takeo, asking,
'Are you busy?'
Sono typed back that he wasn't really, just messing around with his brother.
The response was instant as Takeo replied,
'Ok...just curious..was thinking about you and got nervous. Don't know why. Ha.
I'm weird. Anyway, see you tomorrow, rich boy.'
Oto noticed his brothers brow quirk a little as he set his phone back down and
he tilted his head, gathering papers as he asked,
"Something wrong?"
"Hm? No, not really. It's Takeo. Lately he's been acting kinda...what's the
word...mother hen like."
When Oto gave him a look that said 'elaborate', Sono continued.
"I don't know. He's been so touchy lately and so...in the need to know about
what I'm doing. I mean, I like it and all. He's my best friend and I care about
him...and he cares about me...but it just seems like there's more to it and I'm
confused as to what it is."
"More to it?"
"Yeah...kinda like how you were when you started dating Miyuki. You were always
so worried about her and kept asking if she was ok and such and she'd call to
yell at you in Italian. Takeo's kinda acting like that. Like...today...we were
at Urimatsu and when you texted me, he kinda...lingered. And I liked it. It
made me feel comfortable and safe and-"
Sono stopped talking when he noticed Otos eyes get wide almost in seconds. It
was like he was shocked at what he had just heard, which made sense when his
next question was,
"Sono...are you trying to tell me something?"
"What? No. I'm just asking if you know what it could mean. Why, is there
something I should be telling you?"
Oto opened his mouth...then closed it, pressing his hand against it, opting not
to jump to conclusions. That was the last thing he needed to do at this point.
Especially when Sono just dropped this strange topic on his lap.
"I um...I guess that's something you and Takeo need to talk about. I mean, you
two have been friends for a long time. Almost a decade. Maybe....maybe he's one
of those people that...you know...isn't into...girls."
"Huh...I guess that makes sense. I mean, I've never seen Takeo with a
girlfriend before. He's always been around me for 8 years. I feel bad. I never
wanted him to just ignore everyone else, but I can't help the feeling of
anxiety when he's not around. No one else besides you, mom and dad make me feel
the same level of safety like Takeo does."
In all the years Oto had tried to teach his kid brother about life, limited as
it was due to his own experiences, he was shocked to see that Sono was so
oblivious to his thoughts. How could he not see it?
"No I mean...Sono...do you think...that....the reason Takeo hasn't had a
girlfriend is because....well...he likes you?"
"Likes me? Of course he likes me. We're friends, aren't we?"
"You're not getting it...you said he was being super touchy with you lately.
Had been for a few days of sorts? How it was similar when Miyuki and I started
dating? Compare the two and think about it."
No amount of explaining could even compare to the look of confusion written on
Sonos face. His eyes squinted hard at his brother, trying to put two and two
together, running his fingers through his hair.
The suddenly, like a delayed reaction, it clicked and Sonos eyes shot up to
Oto, wide and nearly appalled.
"You think that....oh god, Haha. Oto, that's stupid. Takeo isn't into guys, I
know he isn't. He's such a flirt with the girls yes, but to me? God no. And
besides, I would've know....he would have told me."
"Sometimes, when you realize you're attracted to someone you've known for so
long, it hits you suddenly and you feel confused and afraid. And it doesn't
even have to be with someone you've known for a long time. It could be someone
totally new in your life. But that's besides the point. Takeo might be
realizing he has feelings for you and it's freaking him out a bit...what about
you? What do you think about your best friend having feelings for you?"
"But there's no way! Takeo wouldn't hide something like that from me...would
he?"
"It's hard to tell. But it's something to talk about. If he feels for you, but
you don't feel the same, you need to let him down easy. Just follow your
instincts, Sono. It'll be alright."
Seeing his brothers confusion only made Oto a little more concerned for this
conversation, but Sono was 15. This was something he needed to deal with,
especially if Takeo was involved.
Taking this time to stand up, he gathered his papers and said,
"'I'll leave you to collect on this. Just think about it. Part of growing up is
dealing with such...unsettling situations. If you chose to go through with
something, stick it out. If not, well then, I'll be here if you need to talk."
With that, Oto walked out of his brothers room, leaving Sono on his bed, knees
to his chest, eyes wide and utterly lost. Pressing his hand against his head,
he thought about Takeo and how he felt...how he could be feeling.
It was almost terrifying to think Takeo was attracted to him. How could he be?
Sono was messed up in every sense of the word. He was raped...he was
hospitalized because of the trauma and hell his brain went through afterwards.
But then, Takeo didn't know this....and he never would. Sono would swear up and
down he'd never tell Takeo about that horrible experience. He'd spare him that
pain.
He started shivering, gripping his arms as horrible thoughts crossed his mind.
Takeo was his friend. His best friend. There was no way he could be attracted
to him...it wasn't right. They were both boys too...how would it work?
In a dash, Sono bolted from his bed to his bathroom, gripping his pills and
downing two of them, feeling a panic attack settling in and he leaned against
his counter, eyes gleaming with doubt.
If Takeo truly was attracted to him, how would he approach the situation? Sono
was never good at talking to people about certain things....not to mention,
he's never dealt with an admirer before.
This was getting him no where. Oto was right. He had to talk to Takeo about
this and soon. If he didn't get an answer soon, he'd only be putting himself in
an even bigger panic.
After leaving his bathroom and grabbed his phone, he opened it and stopped to
look at his cover picture.
It was of him and Takeo when they received their middle school uniforms....they
looked so happy....he rubbed his thumb over his phone for a moments,
considering his options. Could he really just accuse his friend of...what would
the accusation even be? For just a thought of attraction? Sono couldn't do
that. It would break his heart and Takeo would hate him...
No...no they'd talk about this later...if the moment called for it...no sense
worrying about it now.
Setting his phone down, Sono set his hand on his chest, feeling his heart calm
down quite a bit before sitting back in bed, running his brothers words through
his head.
Takeo liked him? Was that true? And if so, how did Sono feel about it? Was he
angry? Disgusted?
He felt the opposite. Takeo made him feel safe...happy. Like he mattered to
someone other than his family. He never really felt attraction to anyone else
before...and the only experience he had with something like this was
Chino...sort of.
Sono sighed and leaned back against his bed, staring at his ceiling. Maybe it
wasn't a bad thing he felt so confused. Takeo was someone he cared about
deeply....maybe he himself was confused about his own feelings.
Regardless, all this thinking as hurting his head and decided now was a good
time to turn in. Once he turned off his lights and curled himself in his
comforter, he shut his eyes and willed himself to sleep, trying to force his
brain to not think of Chino...not to think of the hospital...to instead focus n
things he loved.
Like..anime...he enjoyed a good anime every now and again...his drawing. He'd
be so excited to start at the private secondary, jumping into those classes and
learning from the best.
He smiled as he went to sleep finally, thinking of all the things he could look
forward to.
 
But the thing that made him smile more as he slept was the face he saw just
before his dreams took him away.
It was Takeo...and he was handsome....and Sono found himself enjoying the image
in his dreams...a bit more than he thought he would.
 
 
 
***** Chapter 8 *****
Chapter Notes
     Pretty light hearted chapter this time around. Feeling great about
     how this revamp is coming out.
     Also, I'm hoping you all enjoy this story. It's taking more time than
     I'd ever thought considering all the rewrites and such. But
     hopefully, you'll enjoy the final product. Back stories are a pain to
     write..*slips on sunglasses*..kind of like my pain in the back from
     working long hours on writing this story.
     *YEAAAH*
     I'll see myself out.
     Enjoy.
Students piled in quickly as the first bell rang for the day, sitting in their
seats and pulling out their books, some eager to start their day and some just
wanting to sit it out like normal, most of the students already falling asleep
at their desks.
The day hadn't even really started and many of them were just eager to get
through the next few days, what with final exams on the horizon and the high
school entrance tests nearly ready for taking. Most of their class time was now
dedicated to getting them all ready for the end of their primary school lives.
That was the thought process for many of the students, Sono being sadly
included. While he did look forward to testing for the private secondary like
he had been wanting for a while, school these days were just enough to put him
back to sleep. That said a lot considering he wasn't sleeping well at home.
Late nights studying was one reason for it, but the majority of his nights were
spent laying awake in his bed, eyes staring at the ceiling and his hands
bundled in his shirt, trying to shake the images of his nightmares away.
The last few days were rough; he had been going through spells of constant
replays of that night when he was 6, trying hard to push the memory away as he
tried to get though whatever he was he tried to do. For example...him sitting
at the kitchen table, practicing in one of his manga training guides, nearly
coming close to making a perfect story flow.
As he sketched in the last bit of his main characters stance before writing
down his ending monolouge, Sonos hand had frozen in place, his skin feeling
clammy and cold sweat beading from his head. His brown eyes widened to their
limits and his vision would get dark, becoming a tunnel as all he could see was
Chino crawling into his bed, silencing him with his mouth and forcing his small
body to open for him.
His pencil had snapped in his tight grip, cutting into his palm and caused him
to bleed, but he barely noticed in his near hypnotized state. He squeezed his
hands tighter, the broken wood digging further into his hand. The core of his
body began to tremble and he let out small gasps of air, as if he was
suffocating.
Sono was extremely lucky his father was in the kitchen at the time of this
sudden attack. The second Kenji heard a loud yet quick gasp of air coming from
the dining room, he instantly knew what was happened and acted quick.
Grabbing an inhaler from Naomi's emergancy drawer near the back closet, he ran
out to the dining room, pulled his son from the table and set him on the couch
in the lounge, placing the inhaler in his sons mouth and told him to breath,
pressing on the trigger to release the medicine into the boys lungs.
It seemed silly in hindsight for Kenji to have an inhaler in his house; neither
of his sons had asthma of any kind, nor did Naomi or himself. But after Sono
was released from the hospital after a strong fit when he was 13, one in which
where he almost lost the ability to breath properly, the doctors recommended
they have one handy as it could help him in the event of him losing air with
having an episode...which were becoming more frequent after he became a
teenager.
Kenji patted his sons stomach through his shirt, hearing how his breathing had
started to settle and soon set the inhaler down on the coffee table, moving his
hand from his stomach to his back, rubbing between his shoulders, asking if he
was alright.
Sono had said nothing, letting out a long exhale as he nodded and removed
himself from his fathers hold, mumbling his thanks and went back to the table
to finish his work, leaving his father confused at his sudden coldness.
That was only yesterday, which was the most surprising as it felt like weeks
ago. Sono was still trying to push himself through these sudden fits, trying to
figure out why they were becoming so frequent. It wasn't as if anything was
triggering them, as far as he was aware. They would just come out of no where,
even if he was just sitting on the couch with his family or god forbid, by
himself. He had been fortunate enough to not deal with a strong one alone and
he certainly didn't want to. The pills in his bag helped with that in the off
chance he actually was alone.
Which reminded him suddenly to take one of those pills before his art
class....just in case.
The bell rang once again and soon, the teacher walked into the classroom,
prompting the class head to stand and announce the class, who all stood
quickly, bowing and saying good morning to the teacher as she bowed back,
saying good morning. Soon after, they all sat back down and the teacher began
making morning announcements, most of them being upcoming exams for high school
and so on.
Sono sighed and tapped his notepad with his pen, staring at his bandaged left
hand and cringed to himself, trying not to think about his last episode and
focus on his school work. Granted, that was equally as hard when he thought
about how Takeo reacted to seeing his hand this morning.
The blond explained that he had a small panicky fit and accidentally stabbed
his hand with his pencil. He neglected to explain his lack of breath and the
reasoning behind his attack. But Takeo seemed more concerned about his friends
wound then any reason why he had it.
When he looked at his friends hand, his blue eyes flared for a moment before
taking him to the infirmary, getting it re-bandaged and medicated. Sono tried
to explain that his father had already taken care of it, but Takeo was having
none of it. He just continued to prattle on about how Sono should have called
him immediately after so they could talk it over. The blond calmed him down
quickly, saying it wasn't as bad as he was making it sound, only to stop Takeo
from being so overly protective.
Sono groaned to himself and set his head on his desk. It was only 8:45 in the
morning and already he just wanted to crawl into bed and ignore everyone for
the rest of the day. His phone was in his bag...maybe he could sweet talk his
mother into picking him up after lunch. Oh but then Takeo would have a fit
about it, how he left school without saying anything. If it wasn't one thing,
it was another.
The morning classes went smoothly as they could; the teacher started off their
day with math, making it easier on the brain for most students during the day.
After their usual math tests, it was time for Japanese literature, something
every student in Sonos class almost always fell asleep to, him included.
The remainder of the morning was a blur up until the bell rang for their lunch
period. Some students were quick to up and leave the classroom the second the
bell went off so they could eat with their friends in the other classes. With
the class nearly empty, save for some girls who sat in groups, Sono got up and
grabbed his bag, making his way through the room to make the trek to his and
Takeo's usual lunch spot, being behind the back lockers near the art room like
always.
During his walk, he ignored the usual chatter among the other students,
ignoring how loud they could be which didn't help his aching headache.
As he passed by the main hallway, he stopped as he peered outside, seeing how
pretty it was despite the chill. The sun was shining and he gave a soft smile,
debating on asking Takeo if they could start eating lunch on the roof of the
school...he decided against that. Takeo was more than likely quick to say no.
"Oi! Hanasaki!"
The way his name was called drove Sono from this thoughts, not by much though,
as he turned to the source, seeing it was one of the students from his art
classes, someone he wasn't quite thrilled to see.
Shizuka Mori, one of the few students of this school that was...less than
prepared for the upcoming high school entrance exams and was not all that
afraid to show off his negligence on the matter. With him were two other
students, Hanabi Mira and Minora Ami, two popular girls who Sono had very clear
memories of when he was younger and fresh out of Chiba. And as he recalled,
they didn't like him much for rather unclear reasons. Perhaps because he came
from wealth or because he was frail, shy and didn't talk much, he didn't know.
But he certainly didn't like the fact they were addressing him. Especially not
with Mori smirking at him the way that he was.
He sauntered over to him, nearly towering over him and asked,
"Not everyday I find you without your petty body guard. Why's that? Did he get
tired of watching over your weak self?"
The blond said nothing, brown eyes shifting around to try and make an escape
around the sea of students in the hallway. But he couldn't help the way he
winced to himself as he heard Ami step up, saying with venom,
"Oh c'mon on, don't be mean, Mori-kun. He's probably just frizzed out with all
the medicine he has to take for....what was it again? Being such an introverted
freak? I'm honestly surprised you're out in public. What with how many pills
you probably have to take in a day."
That was such a blow. It was no secret to anyone he went to primary school with
that he was hospitalized for a long period of time, though not a soul knew why.
Not that they cared. It was just the motive they needed to continue to bully
him the way they had for a long time.
Mira and Ami were the kind of people who would be content with spitting at his
face and taunting him with insults because of it. Mori, however, had been known
to be aggressive and while he had not yet layed a hand on the blond, he
certainly didn't want to stick around to feel it first hand. Being verbally
bullied and keeping it a secret from his family was one thing. If he went home
with bruises from anyone at school, his parents would blow a gasket.
Hell, Takeo only knew a small extent of the situation, for which Sono was
grateful. No one even came up to him to spout off horrid words when he was with
Takeo. The ebony haired teen had somewhat of a reputation in this school for
being somewhat of a mother hen to Sono to some degree...and wasn't above
beating the shit out of people who looked at his friend wrong.
Which brought a quick thought to the front of Sonos brain.
Where was Takeo? Surely he noticed by now that the blond hadn't made it to
their usual spot and was looking for him, the front hallways near the school
entrance being the first place he'd check. And if that were the case, why
hadn't Sono seen him yet? Or at the very least heard his phone go off in his
bag? True, he kept it on silent during class hours, but every time after, he'd
turn it up so he'd hear it in case something happened.
Wait...what if something did happen? Did Takeo go home early for the day and
forget to text him? Or did he text him during class hours and Sono just hadn't
seen it yet? He didn't really make a habit to check his messages after class...
What if....what if Takeo just didn't want to see him? Didn't want to talk to
him? Was he mad at him for something? Was it because he didn't call Takeo when
he injured his hand? Would he even be truly mad about something so small?
Question and question, scenario after scenario went buzzing through Sonos head
and he found himself gasping for air. His skin started to feel clammy and he
was beginning to feel light headed. Pressing a trembling hand to his head, he
felt cold sweat and instantly began to panic.
Without paying any attention to his bullies, Sono backed up a touch and reached
into his school bag, pulling out his phone and moved his books around, looking
deeper and deeper in his bag until his heart really started to race.
He couldn't find his pills. But that was impossible. He always had his
medication on him at all times, in the even Takeo wasn't around to help him
push through a panic attack.
That's when it dawned on him suddenly, the oh so clear memory of this morning
when Takeo pulled Sono into the school infirmary and got his hand re-bandaged.
He recalled Takeo going through his school bag and set aside his pill
container, saying how he was going to put it in the front of his bag for better
access and lightly scolded him for keeping it buried under his books.
At first thought, Sono was sure Takeo meant he placed the container in the
front of Sonos bag for easier access. But now, it was becoming obvious what had
happened.
In the confusion and slight annoyance of getting Sonos hand looked at, Takeo
must've accidentally set the pills in HIS bag instead of Sonos. And the ever
growing feeling of dread had settled like a rock in the blonds stomach.
His worst fear regarding his anxiety was happening. He was having a harsh
episode....he didn't have his medication...and Takeo was no where to be found.
He could call him, tell him of the mix up and beg him to hurry to the front
hallway with his pills. His phone was in his hand and it was like his head was
wired to autopilot, gripping it his shaking palms.
Suddenly, his phone was snatched from his hands and held above his head by
Mori, who had a sadistic look in his eye. All the blood in the blond body went
cold fast. And that was when he really started to panic.
"G-give that back, Mori!"
"Heh, or what? Your boyfriend will come and beat me up like he does all the
other kids? I bet. Takeo's just as pathetic as you are. Besides, if you want it
back, you gotta reach for it. C'mon, jump and grab it."
It was one thing to bully Sono because of his frailness, but it was a whole
other thing to ridicule Takeo the way he did. Not only did he call Takeo
pathetic, but his boyfriend?
It brought an embarrassed flush to his cheeks as he tried to jump for his
phone, but didn't count on Mori pushing hard on his chest, sending him
backwards and falling on the hard floor, the force of the fall hitting a bruise
he had on his arm. He cried out in pain for a split second, only to curse
himself when he heard Mori laugh at him, tripping him every time he tried to
stand.
"God, you're weak. You'd think with a rich daddy like yours, he'd have taught
you how to fight back like a man. But you're no better than a prissy little
girl."
That comment made Ami scoff at him, averting her eyes the other direction,
though occasionally staring at the teen on the floor. True, she didn't care
much for him, but even she knew when physical violence touched a step too far.
She looked to her friend, Mira, who could only watch in silence, but her grin
was gone, which told Ami plenty. In all truth, she hated picking on Sono the
way she did, but he just made it so easy to hate on him. But seeing how Mori
was ready to actually beat on him, it made her moral suddenly kick into gear.
Perhaps it was time to stop this.
Ami reached out to grab the boys phone from her friend, but Mori yanked it away
from her, a dark scowl on his face. She returned it in kind.
"Enough, Mori. You know better than to bring Hanasaki's father into the fray.
One word about this and he could make you disappear in a snap."
"Oh what? Now you're defending this loser? After all that talk about him being
frizzed and a freak?"
"Don't flip this one me! I don't like him but you shouldn't beat on the sap.
Now just give him his phone and let's be done with it."
Mori scowled at her again, not backing down from his stance. But instead of
fighting her on this, he flung his phone at the teen, hitting him in the chest,
nearly knocking the wind from his lungs and was pulled to his feet roughly by
his arm, holding back a gasp of pain.
The other boy had a tight grip on his arm as he pulled him closer, whispering
with such hatred,
"You're nothing, you know that? If it wasn't for the other loser you hang with,
you'd probably be waking up dead somewhere. How does that sound, you junked up
freak?"
In any given situation like this, Sono would have said nothing but try and fail
to yank his arm free, purely from the irritation of this moment. But something
Mori said locked into his head and he found himself trying to chuckle through
his gasping breaths, which didn't help his lungs at all. Before he could talk
himself out of this, knowing what it would result into, he gasped out,
"How....how does someone wake up dead, Mori-san? Surely you're not getting your
information on mortality through...s-stupid zombie movies?"
It wasn't a snappy comeback as he thought in his head, but he knew it made the
other boy furious to be talked back to. He threw the blond teen back a bit,
seeing him stumble and was about to throw a hard punch to his face. Bravado
changed to instant panic as Sono shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the blow to
his cheek....it never came.
He heard Mori snap out,
"What the hell? What do you want?!"
And instantly assumed Takeo appeared to help him, ready to attack Mori for
hurting his friend. When Sono opened his eyes, it wasn't Takeo he was looking
at. Actually, it was the furthest thing from.
In front of him was another teen, his hand holding the punch that was directed
at him as if it was nothing and a smirk on his face.
"You know, it's not nice to pick on kids smaller than yourself. I mean, my god,
you look like those muscle heads from the bodybuilding shows in the West. My
guess is you have what my dad likes to call 'small man syndrome'. But judging
how you don't know the difference between waking up dead to actually being
dead, I'll assume you don't know what that means."
The surrounding crowd grew silent as a mouse at that comment, some people
murmuring at how much of a burn it was towards Miro.
Sono was awestruck for a moment, forgetting about his lack of air for the time
being. His brown eyes were wide with surprise that someone other than Takeo
came to his aid. After a while, the other boy released Moris fist and turned to
face the blond. Almost immediately, Sono felt a blush creep to his cheeks.
He was...most definitely not what he expected. The teen in front of him was
just a little taller than him, mostly by a few inches. He had tan skin and wild
brown hair and a smile that could melt ice. He couldn't have been much older
than Sono was now, at least, not at first glance.
From behind the boy, Mori snapped out,
"You must be that new kid I've heard so much about. The one who was supposed to
start high school. Heh, what did you fail the entrance test and got bumped down
a grade?"
The teen turned back to Mori and smirked at him, immediately silencing the
bully.
"Nah, I'm just here for the shits and giggles. I mean, sure I could have
already been in high school, but where's the fun in that. I'm only 15, where's
the hurry. That's more than can be said about you? What are you, almost 18 and
still in middle school? You certainly look like you're old enough to be a
creep. Is that why you hang with such young girls...by the way...nice to
officially meet you pretty ladies."
The teen winked to the girls behind Mori and Ami found her face blushing in
red. He smiled and turned his attention back to the blond teen behind him,
saying,
"Say, you're not bad looking yourself. Though you look pretty red in the face.
You feeling alright? Do you have a fever? I don't mind taking you to the
infirmary."
The boy knelt to help Sono to his feet, but the blond didn't move. Instead, he
was suddenly made hyper aware of the situation. He felt as though the walls
were closing in on him and his vision began to tunnel once again. The sight of
the person who helped him didn't make things easier on his already rapid heart
beat.
He had to get out of here and find Takeo. Now.
"Don't touch me! Just leave me alone!"
He smacked the boys hand away and was quick on his feet, grabbing his bag and
phone and bolted down the hallway, ignoring the way the other boy called back
for him, confused. As he stood, he heard a chuckle from behind him, followed
by,
"I knew it. He's such a freak. Too many pills can do that too you."
The boy scowled and turned to Mori, who was chuckling to himself, which was
then greeted by a swift punch to the jaw, sending him down the ground, causing
the students behind him to back up. When they all looked up to the teen who
punched him, he was cracking his wrist with a dark stare in his brown eyes,
poison dripping in his tone as he said,
"I can't stand people like you. The kind that can just hurt people just because
they're smaller than you. Well mark my words. I catch you bullying that kid
again and you'll answer to more than just my fist."
With that, he picked up his own bag and turned on his heel down the hallway,
not looking back as Mori tried to get to his feet. He ignored the stares that
the others were giving him as he tried to figure out where that blond kid ran
off to, wanting to apologize for embarrassing him like that. It wasn't easy
being helped like that, even more so accepting the help.
After a few minutes, the boy stopped another student in the hall, asking if
they had seen the blond come by. The response was quick and unusually helpful.
"Oh you must mean Hanasaki-kun. Yeah, he ran into that closet. Poor kid looked
like he was about to explode. If you're gonna talk to him, be careful. He's got
some serious social anxiety and one wrong thing can send him into a panic."
It was all the info he needed as he walked up to the closet and opened the
door, almost feeling his heart reach out in pity.
The blond was huddled in the back corner, knees to his chest and rocking back
and forth, clearly trying to calm himself down. He heard the door open just
slightly and he snapped his head up to see who it was. His brown eyes widened
when he saw it was the boy who helped him and instantly, Sono wiped his eyes on
his sleeve, not wanting to seem like a baby.
But the boy smiled and shut the door behind him, turning on the closet light
and walked over to the blond, getting next to him on the floor and let out a
loud exhale before quickly dropping the ball.
"Sorry I embarrassed you earlier. I just didn't like the way that guy was
treating you. I've dealt with enough bullies back where I used to live and it
just makes me mad to see people picking on the little guy....no offense."
Sono looked at him for a moment, seeing how there was a soft smile on his face
and he couldn't let himself be apprehensive at that. So he smiled back and
said,
"It...it's ok."
His words were followed by a loud cough and wheezing, prompting the other boy
to pat his back and ask,
"Are you alright? You look like you've just ran a mile....which, haha, I guess
it feels like it down here at the end of the hall. But seriously, you ok?"
"I'm fine!...I'm fine...just...it's hard to breath."
"Do you have asthma? No, that doesn't sound right...oh wait, someone said you
have social anxiety...here, I have just the thing."
The boy reached into his bag, earning a confused stare from the blond, which
only grew as he saw the boy pulled out a brown paper bag, snapping it open and
crumpled up the top, handing it to the blond and said,
"Here, breath in and out of this. It may not seem like much, but it'll help."
Confusion turned to curiosity as Sonos shaking hands took the bag and did as
instructed, breathing in and out, only slowing down when the boy told him not
to breath so quickly.
Eventually, Sono was surprised to feel himself calming down enough to pull the
bag away, his heart beating normally and the feeling of panic fading away. It
was the same feeling he felt when Takeo was around...but it felt...calmer right
here and now.
He turned to look up at the boy, who smiled and ruffled the blonds hair,
answering his unspoken question,
"I used to have friends who were easily stressed out and they didn't have
medication to help them. Which was good in my opinion; doctors think certain
pills help but sometimes they only make things worse. Anti anxiety and
depression pills are the worst. So I always carried a brown paper bag for them
to breath in when they needed it. I guess it became habit when I moved here,
but hey, it was definitely an asset. Haha. You look a lot better too. Not as
flushed. Here, you keep that bag. It could seriously help you in case you're
alone."
The boy left it at that and reached into his bag, pulling out his bento box and
licked his lips.
"Feels like I haven't eaten in days. Haha, and it still smells good. I'm
starved."
It didn't take long for him to notice the look of confusion on the blonds face
and the boy tilted his head, saying,
"What? You think I'm just gonna leave you alone after helping you with your
panic spell? Hell no. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're hungry so if you have a
lunch, I'd break it out now. You look like a twig."
He smiled and opened his box, revealing some small sandwiches and some white
rice with what looked like teriyaki chicken skewers. It reminded Sono of his
own lunch, not to mention the way his stomach grumbled, causing him to blush
while pulling out his bento, taking the lid off to reveal sliced strawberries,
white rice with diced miso beef, rice balls and a small container of sauce.
As he took out his chopsticks, he heard a loud exclamation of awe from his
left, turning his head to the other boy, seeing how his brown eyes were
glowing.
"That looks awesome! Those rice balls look so delicious. Who makes your lunch
in the morning? Does your mom? Damn, I'm jealous. My mom sucked at cooking so
my dad did it all."
The amount of intrigued curiosity from the boy made Sono blush again and smile,
looking at his lunch then back at the boy.
"No. My mother used to make my lunches, but I started making my own when I
started middle school. Not because she can't cook...I don't think anyone can
cook as well as my mom....I'm just picky about what I eat and she gets that.
Sometimes, my brother makes my lunches for me before he goes to university.
But....nowadays I make lunches for me and my friend....I hope he at least
started eating...where ever he is..."
The boy noticed the sullen look in the blonds eyes and lightly patted him on
the back, earning a quick glance and a small smile back. The boy grinned at
him, saying,
"I'm sure he's looking for you. If you don't mind me asking, what class is your
friend in?"
"I think...class 3-B."
"3-B? Well, isn't that funny. Haha, that's the class I'm in. Well, for now
anyway. I'll be moving into high school in a few months. Then again, so are all
of you. Haha, wouldn't it be awesome if we all went to the same school."
"I suppose it would...heh."
Sono chuckled nervously as he bit into his rice ball, chewing slowly as he
heard the other boy dig into his own food, almost like a man starved for the
ages. He was done in just a few minutes, setting his lunch box down on his lap
and let out a loud exhale, followed by,
"Ahh my dad really knows how to make chicken sandwiches taste awesome. I
remember when I was in grade school, he'd make me peanut butter sandwiches,
because he read that kids in America ate those and he lived in the states a bit
before I was born. He's kind of raised me with both Japanese and American
lifestyles and I really like it, though my mom thought it was stupid and weird.
Kinda one of the reasons they're separating...ahh but you didn't need to know
that. Haha, but seriously. He's an awesome cook. You should totally come by
sometime for dinner. I doubt it's as good as your moms cooking as you say, but
can't hurt to try, right?"
The way he was grinning at him, his absolutely bubbly attitude, it was almost
sickening, but it a good way. Sono found himself smiling as he tried to eat his
own food, chuckling as the boy went on and on about nothing.
After a while though, they sat in silence once again, the boys empty bento in
his bag while Sono picked at his food. He didn't feel as hungry as he was
before, so he offered to share his food with the boy, something he only did
with Takeo.
The boy was blown away with how delicious everything was, from the rice ball to
the sliced strawberries, which he discovered were lightly coated in cinnamon
sugar. He began to praise Sonos mothers cooking, saying he'd never be able to
complain about mothers ever again.
The blond would laugh and enjoy the rest of his food while sharing with the
boy. There was a sort of comfort Sono felt with him that he hadn't felt since
Takeo and it surrounded him like a warm blanket. Like he didn't want to give it
up.
So when Sono packed up his box, he turned his head to the boy and said,
"Hey...thank you for helping me out earlier. Not a lot of people would actually
jump in to bail me out of a bully situation. So...thanks a lot."
"Ahh it's no big deal. Like I said, I hate people who think they can just pick
on someone smaller or weaker than them just because. I didn't have bullies
where I was from but I knew kids who did and I didn't stand for it. People
shouldn't be bullied like that. It leads to so many bigger problems that others
don't need...but I do have to ask. What did that bastard mean when he said 'too
many pills?' You're not really a pill popper, are you?"
Once again, a blush graced Sonos cheeks as he looked away, almost ashamed and
curled in on himself when the boy began to apologize for offending him. But
Sono shook his head, letting out a sigh and said,
"It's not that. I mean...I take pills, but not for the reasons they say...I
was...in and out of hospitals a lot growing up and I guess the toll it took on
me was bigger than my parents had imagined. The doctors kept prescribing me
different kinds of medication and I guess I just never questioned it. I mostly
take anti anxiety medication, but only when I feel I need it..like..."
"Like when that bully was harassing you?"
"Exactly. I lock up and freeze so quickly, my heart starts pounding and my
vision gets dark. I start to sweat and I can't think straight so I start to
panic more and that's when I'd take my medication...or go and find Takeo so he
can help me through it. I never need to take them when he's around."
Sono got really quiet after that and leaned his head on his knees, much to the
intrigue of the boy near him. He felt him get closer and heard,
"Is this Takeo your boyfriend? Is that why you feel better if he's around and
you don't need to take pills?"
Damn this stupid blush on his cheeks. Sonos eyes narrowed as he snapped out
towards the other wall,
"Why does everyone call him that? He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend.
He's the only friend I have, the only person I can trust outside my family.
He's the only person who ever looked at me and didn't see a rich kid or...or
someone who was too shy to say anything to anyone. He cares about me, yeah,
but..."
His words trailed off as he thought back to the conversation he and Oto had
over a month ago, regarding Takeo's possible feelings towards Sono and how
conflicted it made him feel. He loved Takeo, but was it more like a brotherly
love, like what he felt with Oto?....what if Takeo truly did feel something
more than just a friendship...what if he actually had feelings for him...
The other boy seemed to catch onto the blonds sudden silence and he smiled a
soft smile, getting even closer and wrapped his arm around Sonos shoulder,
pulling him in closer and while the blonds blush nearly sky rocketed, he looked
up at him, seeing his grin and felt...warm. Really warm.
Not bothering to push him away, Sono relaxed and shut his eyes, allowing
himself to be comforted by some kid he didn't even know. But this level of
warmth was the exact same level as he felt when he was with Takeo and it was so
easy to get lost in.
After a while, the boy patted his shoulder and said,
"Well, now you can say Takeo isn't your only friend, huh?"
As relaxed as Sono was, that one sentence caused his eyes to snap open and his
senses became alert, head shooting up to look at the other boy, who was still
smiling as he said,
"Considering I moved here a week ago, I'm still trying to get to know people
and I've seen you around a bit. I know about you, at least a little bit, and I
now know what some of these kids think of you. But guess what? I don't care
about that. Shyness aside, you seem like a really nice guy. You don't deserve
to get treated like a dog. Maybe that's why I wanted to get to know you
more...the way you act like you're always by yourself. You seem like you needed
another person to lean on rather than just have the one....And....maybe that's
why I can't stand being around some of these guys..like that one earlier. If he
messes with you again, you let me know or let Takeo know and maybe we'll gang
up on him. Takeo might be your first and best friend, but I don't mind being a
second wheel. I mean, if that's alright with you, Hanasaki-kun."
There was not one word to describe the feeling of happiness and shock in Sonos
chest. The blush had gone away and in its place was the color of his cheeks, a
rosy hue as he smiled and nodded quickly. Nothing would make him happier than
to have another friend to talk to. Takeo would be so happy to see that he was
finally opening up to people and maybe...just maybe...if he worked it out,
maybe he, Takeo and this new kid could be the best of friends. He certainly
seemed eager to be anyway and the way he stood up for him to Mori...Sono smiled
and said,
"I'd like that....oh...and it's Sono, by the way. Do you don't have to call me
by my surname."
God the laugh that left the boys mouth was so welcoming. Sono couldn't help but
laugh with him as they finally stood, gathering their bags. Before they could
leave the closet, the boy walked up to him and raised his hand, pressing it
under Sonos long bangs and brushed them back, smiling the entire time.
"Well then, Sono-kun, if I may make a suggestion. You should cut your bangs a
little. Having them hang in front of your eyes like this can cause some
problems. Plus, you've got pretty brown eyes. Totally sure we'd like to see
them more often and not under all this yellow hair."
With a chuckle, Sono backed up and said,
"Are you sure you want to be my friend and not something else with the way
you're acting?"
The boy laughed and raised his hands, saying,
"Hey hey, it's all ok. No judging here. I don't label myself as anything other
than a decent human being. I like girls yeah, but there's no shame in telling a
guy he's good looking if he is. Which you are, let's be real."
"Well then....good to know then."
The two boys laughed to themselves as they exited the closet, thankful no one
was around to see them leave as they walked down the hall. They hadn't made it
a few feet before a loud voice called from far in front of them.
"Sono, there you are!"
The blonds eyes lite up as he watched Takeo making a mad dash towards him,
immediately being embraced hard by the boy, one pale hand digging into his hair
and the other wrapped tight around his waist. Sono felt warmth all over and
buried his face in Takeos blazer, smelling his cologne and gripped his jacket.
Finally, Takeo broke apart and Sono could see the level of fear in his blue
eyes. It made his heart sing for just a moment.
"My god, where were you? I've been looking all over for you. I was told that
Mori was harassing you and you bolted like a bullet. Damn, I should have been
there with you. I'm so sorry. I got stuck in my gym class and completely forgot
to text you. I even found your pills in my bag and..I'm sorry, Sono. I wasn't
there for you like I was supposed to. Are you ok? Did he hurt you? You don't
look hurt....you actually look fine. I thought you had a panic attack...did you
have to deal with it by yourself?"
Just hearing how worried Takeo was about him was making Sonos heart beat a
million miles a second. The level of actual concern made him itch to hug him
again, but the reminder that they were not alone drew his attention to the now.
He smiled and said,
"I'm fine, Takeo. Yeah, Mori was giving me a hard time, but this new kid bailed
me out and helped me push through my anxiety. And I don't even think I need to
take my pills as much anymore! He showed me a much easier method to calm myself
down if I need to. But I'm ok. More than ok. My new friend helped out a lot."
Sono watched as Takeos blue eyes widened for a moment before slowly turning his
head to the mentioned 'new friend.' And that's when Takeos eyes narrowed a bit,
his hand settling on his hip as he pulled Sono in closer, saying with such
snark.
"How did I know you'd find him before I did. You've got some edge to you to go
sniffing out for my friend here, eh Nazawa?"
The boy laughed again, saying,
"Hey now, you can't blame that on me. You talked about him so much, I had to
know for myself. And you're right. He is quite the shy one, but he's sweet."
"Yeah yeah, flattery won't get you anywhere. Be glad I even struck up a
conversation with you this morning. Had I not known who you were, I wouldn't
have even bothered."
"And for that, kind sir, I thank you for your humble greetings."
The boy gave a fake royal bow and Takeo rolled his eyes while Sono giggled to
himself...only to stop and look up at Takeo, asking,
"Hold on a minute. You were talking about me to him? How are you two even so
close now? Is it because you have the same homeroom? That's not fair. Just who
is this, Takeo?"
The look the ebony haired boy gave him was a quirked brow and an intrigued
grin. Patting his back, he said,
"Do you remember a month ago, we met a nice future shop keep and he talked to
us about his son who was moving here with him?"
When Sono nodded, Takeo pointed at the other boy and in an instant, the gears
in Sonos head starting rolling at top speed. The boy smiled at him and said,
"My father told me so much about the two of you and he had only had one visit
from you. Said I should be friends with you when I started high school, but he
apparently didn't want me sitting around the new place like a stump, so I'm
finishing up middle school here. Even though I already finished in Kyoto, but
hey, I'm not arguing in the slightest. This place is pretty awesome, certain
company excluded."
After a few moments, there was silence and soon, Takeo felt the need to back
away from the situation to talk with Sono alone. And while he didn't hate the
kid in front of him, he didn't feel comfortable sharing his close relationship
with the blond yet.
Takeo and Sono each gave their cell phone numbers to the boy and soon, Takeo
was dragging the blond off the other direction. Sono had a chance to slow them
both down to wave at their new friend, who called out,
"I'll call you guys later tonight! Nice finally meeting you, Sono!"
The blond smiled and nodded, waving back and said,
"It's nice to meet you too...Naoki-kun!"
The boy, Naoki, smiled to himself as the duo turned the corner, letting out a
sigh and stretched, feeling like today was a very productive day. Finally
making some new friends in a new school was always daunting.
 
--
Takeo dragged Sono outside the school for a moment, internally grateful that
time was going so slow today so he could finally talk out his worries. He
wasn't going to allow himself to show raw emotions in front of Naoki, new
friend or not.
Once they reached the back of the building, Takeo pressed his friend against
the stone wall, staring into his deep brown eyes, seeing the confusion in them.
He basked in that stare for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around the
blond, silencing any questions he had.
The embrace was nice, welcomed even. But Sono grew even more dumbfounded as to
where this was all coming from. There was most defiantly something on Takeo's
mind and he was hesitant to share it, at least in public.
Finally, Takeo started talking and just hearing his voice made Sonos heart
begin to swell.
"I was so worried about you, you know that? When I got told to stay behind in
gym, all these different scenarios went through my head. What if he starts
eating alone and chokes? What if he starts question why I didn't
show....like....what if he thinks I didn't want him around anymore. What if
someone comes to mess with him and he goes in an absolute panic? God...I was so
scared and I couldn't even get away to text you and tell you I was running
late. And by the time I got to my bag, I saw your pills were there and I
freaked out. I ran through the entire first floor looking for you, asking
around for you. I eventually found Minora and she said that Mori was giving you
hell and that she saw you run down the hall. I was almost ready to ask if she
was part of it, but thought against it. And ask much as I hate to say it, I'm
glad Naoki found you. I'm glad he was there to help you. I told him about your
anxiety and episodes and how things can get dicey if I'm not there to help
you....and he offered to help if I wasn't there. I don't know the kid very well
and I know his dad mentioned us to him and that's why he's being so nice but
damnit....I wish I was there for you. I'm sorry, Sono. I promise I won't be
that careless ever again. You have my word. And even if you don't need to take
your pills anymore, I'll still be your rock."
There were so many emotions going through Sonos head right now and he couldn't
place any of them in any category. They jumbled around wildly in his skull,
some of them trailing into his blood and straight into his heart. His vision
was getting fuzzy, but not because of any anxiety or any panicking or anything.
His heart starting fluttering and he backed up from Takeo for a moment to look
at him, a blush on his cheeks as he said,
"It still amazes me that our friendship means this much to you."
"Sono, don't you get it? Your friendship means more to me than anything. You
mean more to me than anything. I care for you deeply and the fact I wasn't
there to help you made me so angry that I started hating myself. But then I saw
you with Naoki and everything was alright again. I never want to be away from
you and when I am, it hurts me deep down. I wanted to tell you for the longest
time, but...I was unsure of how you'd react. But now...now I just want to do
whatever I can to make you understand. And if you don't, then...I didn't really
plan for any 'if you didn't', but...oh screw it."
Takeo wasted no time in trying to find his words and Sono felt as though he
understood well enough. Then his next act surprised Sono to where he found he
understood VERY well.
The taller boy pressed the blond against the wall and pressed his lips against
his, not roughly, but just enough force for Sono to feel the level of internal
struggle Takeo was clearly going through. But there was no amount of internal
struggle that could come to close to what Sono was feeling deep down.
Those dreaded memories of Chino started to surface quickly, making his eyes
widen in horror in the midst of Takeo's sudden display of affection. It was
almost enough for Sono to push Takeo away, but somehow, the image faded as
quickly as it came as the boy pressed harder. Chino was gone, Sono had to keep
telling himself that. Chino was gone...Takeo was here. Takeo would protect him
from people like Chino. Takeo was everything Sono wanted at this moment. He now
understood what Oto had told him some time ago. That he should follow his heart
with this.
Finally, Takeo broke their kiss and looked at his friend, seeing the beautiful
pink flush on his cheeks, brown eyes looking wide at him in surprise and Takeo
could feel his skin trembling. It worried him; had he pushed too hard? Should
he have waited?
"Shit...Sono, I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to say so...I...I hope you can
forgive me..I just...I care about you a lot. I always have. Ever since we were
kids."
The blond could not stop his arms from wrapping around Takeo's neck, couldn't
stop his voice from asking,
"How long have you really felt this way?"
Now it was Takeo's turn to blush as he averted his eyes, looking at a patch of
grass as he said,
"Since....when you fell into the ice cap near my house...when my dad saved your
life...I was so scared I was going to lose you. Then you got sick and stopped
coming to school...you'd always call and we'd talk for hours...then you just
stopped. And your dad said you were going away for a while. When you came back,
I was so happy to see that you were ok. I wanted you back so badly and when we
hugged that day at recesses, you cried and hugged me so tight, saying you were
scared, but you didn't say why....I think I fell for you at that very moment. I
knew I wanted to be with you and protect you. But I didn't want to push you so
I held back...I don't know why, but I knew I had to speak up soon. Otherwise,
I'd go crazy."
Such pale hands cupped both of Sonos cheeks, thumbs rubbing under his eyes and
he pressed his forehead against his, golden bangs tickling his skin. Sono felt
such love and tenderness seep into his form and began to wonder why he doubted
such feelings in the first place. Takeo was his best friend, his first friend.
It would make sense as to why he would feel this way.
And somehow, Sono knew deep down he felt the same. Takeo was always there for
him, no matter what. It seemed perfect...it was perfect.
With a smile, he looked up at him and said,
"I'm glad you spoke to me that day when we were kids....I'm glad you made me
mess up my sketch...if you hadn't....I'd never known what this really felt
like. I never thought you'd be attracted to someone like me...but...I'm glad
you are. And now I know I'm not just crazy myself. I think I felt the same for
a long time, Takeo. I just needed a push."
"Are you saying....you really want this with me? I'm not forcing you? You're
not settling?"
Sono could only smile at the look of worry in Takeo's bright blue eyes. He
could truly get lost in those eyes. Never once did Sono imagine feeling this
way about another boy. Hell, he knew for a fact he couldn't feel this way about
a girl...he didn't realize he could feel this way about anyone.
With Takeo, it made sense. And he never wanted to lose this feeling of
certainty.
With nothing more to say, Sono reached up and pressed his hands against Takeos
cheeks, standing on his toes to reach up and kiss him, adoring the feeling of
love spiking through his veins. He felt the boys arms wrap around his thin
waist, kissing back with such fierce passion that it made Sono lightheaded. If
this is what love was supposed to feel like, he didn't want to lose it.
Unbeknownst to them, someone was watching them from behind the building with a
smile. It was a sweet smile, as if knowing this would happen. In a way, he
planned that out.
Naoki chuckled to himself, spinning his key chain on his finger, thinking about
how his father described those two together, as if his father could tell there
was some hidden attraction there deep down. When he told Naoki about during his
first week, the boy was enthralled by the thought and seeing as how he helped
many of his other friend get together back in Kyoto, he figured this would be
beneficial for them both.
True, when he and Takeo first started talking in homeroom, he could get the
impression Takeo was very...protective of the blond, but that only made Naoki
more engaged with the idea of getting them together.
He certainly didn't plan on Miro being the ass he was and just happened to be
walking by the scene, not happy that the blond was the victim of bullying here
at their school. But just being in the same room as the blond made Naoki
realize that those two were made for each other. And as a new friend to them
both, he'd help them in anyway.
With a smile, he walked away as the bell rang for the second half of the day,
playing with the piece of paper in his pocket that held Sono and Takeos
numbers. He'd make a mental note later to text them rather than call them. It
seemed easier.
--
 
By the time 8 pm rolled around, Sono found he couldn't relax enough to fall
asleep even if he wanted to. He was on cloud 9 at the moment. This day had been
so eventful that he didn't even know where to begin.
At dinner, he was quick to exclaim he made a new friend at school, Naoki
Nazawa, in which Kenji and Naomi made the connection to the new sweets shop
opening on main street. They were both thrilled that their son was finally
coming out of his shell to meet new people and were even more excited when Sono
asked if both Takeo and Naoki could come over some time just to hang out. Naomi
was quick to jump and start listing off snacks they'd like and Kenji had to
calm her down for the most part, laughing the whole time.
Sono never did mention that he and Takeo kissed today, signaling the start of a
new relationship between them both. He wasn't sure how his parents would react
to him being in love with another guy, so he kept that piece of information to
himself. At least for now. He'd tell them when he was ready.
Though, he did notice Oto was not present for dinner and when he asked, Kenji
mentioned he was out with Miyuki and friends. Sono seemed pleased with the
answer and left it at that.
After dinner, he sat in his room on his bed reading his manga, finding it hard
to do as he constantly had to move his bangs out of his eyes. He grumbled and
set the book aside, leaning against his pillows, staring at the ceiling and
pondered hard about the upcoming exams, his new relationship with Takeo, his
new friendship with-
His phone suddenly buzzed to life, making him jump and gripped it, seeing a new
text from a number he didn't recognize. Curiously, he opened it and read the
message, smiling almost instantly.
'Pleasure to make your digital acquaintance, Sono. I texted Takeo earlier, but
he mentioned something about having to work with his father tonight, so I
humbly reached out to you. If you're still up, that is.'
Not even a full day and Sono could read that unique way of speaking from a mile
away. He typed back instantly and every time Naoki texted him back, it was like
a new level of humor and understanding between them both.
 
S- Yes, I'm still awake, thank you for asking. Haha. I'm actually super wired
and can't relax.
 
N-Oh? Why is that I wonder? Is it from the meeting of such an awesome person
like me? XD
 
S- NO....well somewhat. Haha. I won't lie, you're a big reason for it.
 
N-Aww you flatter me. But I think it has less to do with me and more to do with
your less than little first kiss with Takeo behind the school shed.
 
S- You saw that?! You creep! Why were you watching us?!
 
N-You can't be totally shocked. I mean, had it not been for my involvement with
saving you from the big bad dumb ass today, Takeo probably would have never
admitted his feelings.
 
S-I suppose you're right. He's kind of restricted like that
 
S-Hold on. Did he tell you he had feelings for me!? Why am I the last to know?!
 
N-LOL oh Sono, you make me chuckle. He told me how you first became friends and
I kinda connected the dots from the WAY he was talking about it. I'm not
stupid. I know what dorky first love looks like and you two are such dorks.
 
N-Honestly, it's kinda adorable.
 
N-Are you seriously ignoring me right now? And I thought we had something
special. <:(
 
S- I seriously wonder where you've been our whole lives. LOL. I think Takeo and
I really needed a friend like you back in grade school.
 
N-Oh so NOW you respond. Haha you two are honestly pretty cool people. Takeo
seems down to earth and you seem up in the clouds. So in this case, you need a
center of the world kind of person to balance it out.
 
S-And you say Takeo and I are dorks.
 
Naoki replied with a quick laughing gif and mentioned he was nodding off, so
Sono texted him a quick good night and see you tomorrow before shooting Takeo
the same text, setting his phone down and settled against his pillows, blowing
his hair out of his face, growing frustrated with it.
After a brief moment, Sono got out of his bed and walked into his bathroom,
staring at himself in the mirror, picturing what he'd look like if he actually
cut his hair shorter. Naoki said he'd look better without the hair in his face
and when he mentioned it to Takeo, it seemed like he agreed, saying he'd be
able to see his eyes better.
It was worth a shot anyway.
Opening his cabinet, he pulled out a pair of scissors, debating on if he should
talk himself out of this....he decided against that and let out a breath of
motivation before gripping his bangs in his hand, slowly clipping away at them
the way he had seen many times in movies.
Snip after snip, he watched as golden hair fell from his head, pooling around
his feet.
After several minutes, he snipped off one loose end and set the scissors down,
taking another glance and his eyes widened. It was like he was looking at
someone...totally different. He could actually see his face. His hair actually
looked like he was a boy and not a girl in baggy clothes.
Running his hand across his face a few times, as if checking to see if it was
real, he let out a loose smile and laugh, astonished that he actually did this
himself.
He didn't get much time to collect on it, however, as he heard the front door
downstairs burst open then close, followed by running footsteps up the stairs.
By the time Sono opened his bedroom door to investigate, Oto was already at the
top of the stairs, a large smile plastered all over his features.
Naomi opened her door as well and Kenji followed, asking what was with all the
noise.
Oto only had to say one thing and it sent the whole family into a state of joy.
And Sono felt the most of it as he smiled.
"She said yes! She said yes! Miyuki said yes!"
Oto repeated the mantra as he scooped his brother up in his arms, spinning him
around before setting him on his feet, hugging his parents, who embraced him
and congratulated him on his proposal.
No one got any sleep that night. Not with emotions as joyous as they were.
Eventually, they all found themselves in their pajamas in the lounge, drinking
coffee (black tea for Sono) and discussing Oto and Miyuki's engagement in
length, at least, Naomi was as she gushed over her oldest son finally asking
his girlfriend to marry him.
As Kenji tried to calm her down once more, Oto smiled and sipped his coffee,
all while locking onto his kid brothers smiling face, mentioning,
"Did you cut your hair? It looks nice. I can actually see your face."
Sono blushed and ran his fingers through his newly cut locks and smiled to
himself. This day was just full of emotional surprises.
It was kind of refreshing honestly. Not having to worry about nightmares or
anything like that. Sono was actually looking forward to waking up in the
morning now and actually had a reason to be excited to go to school.
A new friend...a new relationship...Sono gave a toothy grin as he sipped his
tea.
Yep. This was quite the emotional day. But he couldn't complain. At least not
for a while until he went to bed with a headache thanks in part to his mothers
crying that her babies were growing up so fast.
 
 
 
 
 
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