Connections

Coming together

Kaoru POV
I couldn’t stop staring at him. He was really here, in my kitchen. The room looked smaller with his massive muscles in it. It never felt more like home, than seeing his smirk. We had taken a route that took us past the restaurant they wanted to look at. From the outside everything looked good. Good enough for Kojiro to call the number on the sign and make an appointment to view the inside the next day. The boy, Miya was looking on his tablet.
“There are only two others in this town. Six in the one over.” He stated. “If we don’t like this one, we may have to expand our radius” He informed his father. Kojiro a father, that I couldn’t get out of my head either. The kid looked to be only about nine or ten. The way he spoke, though, made him sound older.
“No, you have to stay here.” I muttered looking up at Kojiro. His smile sent a wave of relief flooding through me.
“Just because the restaurant maybe in the next town, doesn’t mean I have to be.” He chided. Oh right. I smiled.
“Let’s go to my place.” I led the way. Kojiro looking around the town. He had pointed out a few things that were different. I told him when things had changed. We got to my place. My studio was on the first floor, along with the supply rooms. The second floor was where my offices were located at. The third floor, which technically was only two steps up from the second, was my apartment.
“You live alone?” Kojiro asked as soon as he stepped into the clean white space.
“Yes, I’m an in the processes of redecorating.” I explained the starkness of it. Kojiro picked up a pencil from the desk. Walking to the kid, he held it out to him. I watched. He whispered something to his son. The boy smiled, nodding he walked up to the wall. I shook my head. It was only pencil, whatever he drew I could easily paint over.
This brought us to the present. I was staring at Kojiro who was staring back. The tea kettle whistled making me jump. I turned fixing up the tea. I found some cookies. Setting them on a plate I prepared the tray. I carried it to the table.
“Miya, you want any?” Kojiro called. It was like he already knew the answer.
“No.” the boy grouched. Kojiro shook his head.
“He hardly eats any more. In training for the national team.” He put finger quotes around training.
“He doesn’t look much like you.” I pointed out. Kojiro sipped his tea.
“He isn’t biologically mine.” He said. This sat me back a little. Since when did he just take in a stray kid? I watched him trying to figure him out.
“You want to hear our story?” He asked.
“Very much so.” I said sipping the tea.
“Well, after graduation, I went to America. I spent a few weeks to a few months in all the major states, living in New York for about a year before leaving. That was where I met Miya’s mother. She was this tiny thing. Not much bigger than he is now. We didn’t date, but became good friends. She had been on vacation. She invited me to Italy to work for her family’s restaurant, I went. Miya was about three then. His father had been killed before the boy was born.” He paused to sip his tea. “I told her about you. She was the only one I ever talked about you with.” He stopped again. I waited. “Anyway, we were good friends, like I said. She wasn’t like the girls that just clung to me around here. I could talk to her.
I stayed there for about a year. Then traveled to Spain, Portugal, Russia and Sir Lanka. We wrote, texted and called each other over those few years. She told me when her father died. I came back to help. That’s when she got sick. She had to sell the restaurant. She put the money in a trust for Miya. That’s when she asked me to look after him. She wrote up a will naming me his guardian. He was an orphan by the time he got out of first grade.” Kojiro always had a soft spot for strays. I smirked into my cup seeing how this was going to play out.
“Stuff it, I know what you’re thinking. The kid lost everything, alright. I wasn’t going to abandon him too. In order to leave the country with him, I had to officially adopt him, so I did. We traveled in the summers finding a place to stay for the school year, then off we went again. He liked it. Never was good at making friends.”  Kojiro frowned. He glanced over at the kid who was happily walking all over the back of my couch to reach the top part of the wall.
“I taught him to skate when I was with him in Italy the first time. He took to it like a duck to water. Kaoru, I’m the only father he has ever known. I had to be there for him.” His worried eyes found me. “Sometimes I think, I’m messing him up. He’s too small, doesn’t eat, hates to get up in the morning…” I reached out to take his hand.
“He looks happy, Kojiro.” I whispered. “The rest is fodder, you make him happy and gave him home and love. That’s what he needs the most.” He turned his hand over linking our fingers together.
“No matter where I was, I made sure I updated my address with the school website.  When I got the flyer for the reunion, it was like a smack in the face seeing your artwork there.” His smile was warm even if his eyes looked slightly haunted.
“You recognized it, even after all this time?” I asked astounded. He picked our joined hands up, flipping them so mine was on top, he kissed the back of it.
“I know what these hands are capable of.” He smirked. “You can’t hide your talent from me, four eyes.” He chided. “I knew it was time to come home. I wondered what you would think of him.” He turned once more to check on the boy.
“He’s interesting.” I smiled.
“Are you still with him?” Those words punched me in the gut. He asked them with his head turned away. When I didn’t answer right away, he looked back at me. His hand opened up, of course he was taking my silence for confirmation. I tightened my hold on him.
“Not since the day we graduated. I realized there was only one person I ever loved, and he just left me behind. I told Adam we were done. Sometimes I think it led to his downfall.” I stood to go into the kitchen. I needed a little space between us. I stood at the sink gripping it. Out my window I saw the red-haired kid go zooming by on his board. A package under his arm. I smirked. I had watched him for a few years now. The kid was pretty amazing.
Arms wrapped around my waist, a heavy head hit my shoulder. “I have never loved anyone.” He whispered. “… but you.” The shiver his breath sent down my spine made my knees weak. Before I could say anything I heard a voice say,
“Hey dad, can I borrow your marker?” He asked.
“No, that’s permanent.” He glared at the boy, who didn’t flinch at seeing his father hugging another man.
“Downstairs in the studio, under the oak table, there is a small art kit. It has paints and charcoal in it. You can use that on the wall.” I told him. He grinned.
“Thank you, Mister Blossom.” He beamed before dashing off. Joe chuckled.
“I never told him about Kaoru. It hurt too much to discuss you.” He had moved back, leaning against the counter. “Cherry Blossom I was able to talk about. Not sure why.” He smirked.
“Because you are a stupid gorilla.” I muttered with a tiny smirk. He caught my waist. Pulling me into him, he whispered.
“It’s been too long.” Then his mouth descended over mine. His lips pressed into me. I clutched his hair as I returned the kiss.  It was magical, for as short as it was. He pulled away when we both heard running feet coming back up the stairs.
“This one?” Miya asked holding up the art kit. I smiled. I was across the small kitchen from his father.
“Yes, that’s the one.” He dashed back into the living room, a smile covering his face.
“He truly is amazing.” I chuckled.
“So, you plan on telling me your story, Pinky?” He asked. “I see you still skate.”  He pointed out.
“I do. It made me fell like you weren’t so far away.” I smiled at him. “There isn’t a lot to tell. I gave up Adam, built up my AI controlled calligraphy business, and waited for you to remember just where you left me.” I said washing out our tea cups.
“I never forgot where you were.” He said from behind me. “I never meant for you to wait alone.” He added. I turned.
“I have kept up with S.” I said.
“What's S?” Miya was standing in the doorway again.
“You didn’t tell him about S?” I questioned. He shrugged.
“In a way I did, just not all of it.” Kojiro answered.
“Come on, Joe. If you told him about Cherry Blossom, you had to tell him about Joe and Adam.” I taunted him.
“I want to know.” Miya looked from one of us to the other.
“Don’t you have a project to finish?” Kojiro asked sounding annoyed. Before the kid could answer or dash away, I spoke up.
“S is an illegal skating trail that your father, known only as Joe there, myself, known as Cherry Blossom and our other friend Adam, his real name you don’t need to know, started.” I turned to the kid. His mouth was hanging open as he looked at me.
“Dad did something illegal?” He looked at Kojiro, “Wow, shock!” He muttered.
“Shut up, kid.” Kojiro growled good naturedly. Miya laughed.
“Then you are Mr. Kaoru Sakurayashiki.” He asked.
“Where did you get that name from?” Kojiro demanded. Miya held out a business card.
“They were on the counter downstairs.” He stated.
“Of course.” Kojiro’s eyes darted over it. “This is messed up.” He then pointed out the mistakes.
“That’s why they are in the studio and not in my office.” I countered.
“How about I make us all dinner.” Kojiro stated.
“It’s been a long time since I had your cooking.” I smiled.
“No one cooks like dad! Can I stay here with Mr. Sakurayashiki? I need to finish the wall.” Miya asked.
“It’s fine with me.” I told Joe.
“Alright. Knowing you, you have nothing I need, so I will be back.” With that he walked out.
“Can you tell me about Joe?” Miya asked. I smiled.
“Why don’t I tell you about Kojiro first?” He nodded. We went back into the living room where a Cherry Blossom tree took up nearly the entire wall. It was half painted in. Under it stood three figures all on skate boards. Even in silhouette, I could tell they were Joe and myself holding Miya’s hands between us. He had painted the family he wanted.