Connections

Firsts

Kaoru POV
With a fresh cup of tea, I sat down in the chair facing the wall the kid was painting. He, once more stood on the back of the couch to reach the tall parts of the tree. The art kit was open on the wide windowsill ledge. He turned to peer at me as he dipped his brush into the paint. His gaze was cold as it met mine.
"How did you met my dad?" He demanded. Gone was the friendly little boy. This one reminded me so much more of Joe.
"How old are you?" I asked sipping the tea.
"Look here, Pinky..." He snarled in a great impression of his role model. "I ask the questions." He stated.
"That is the only one I will ask. Once you answer I will tell you our story." I informed him. Did he really think he could intimidate me with Kojiro's tactics? What a joke of a boy. He drew back as if I slapped him. I waited. I had years of experience with this form of behavior, so go ahead kid, try me. I watched him.
"I'm thirteen." He said a little bit of the nice kid Kojiro knew peeking through. I nodded slightly shocked by this.
"That Cherry tree you found me under. It was where I met Kojiro Nanjo, also where he chose to leave me." My mind flashed back to that day.
I had just turned five. School was to start. My parents were busy. They dropped me off by the Cherry tree since the doors were locked. They gave me a paper that had my room assignment on it. I clutched it in my right hand. I stood looking up at the Cherry blossoms, they were falling around me. I felt so alone and scared.
Then a voice called out... "Hey are you ok?" I blinked. Another boy had come up under the tree. He was a little shorter than me, I had always been tall for my age. He watched me. His image began to blur.
"Hey, don't cry. What's your name?" He asked moving toward me. I was too afraid to speak. I could only shake my head no. "Your hair matches the Cherry blossoms, until you can tell me your name, I will call you Cherry." He informed me. He wiped my tears away, then took the paper out of my hand.
"No way! Cherry is this your room assignment?" He asked. I nodded. He laughed. "We are going to be the best of friends! We are in the same class. Come on, mom will show us where to go." He took my hand dragging me away to the school steps
A woman with the same smile as his, the same wide happy eyes, greeted him. He introduced us, telling her I was to afraid to talk. She had smiled. "Did you tell him your name, mister?" she asked poking him in the nose with one finger.
"Oh! I forgot!" He giggled. Bowing to me he stated. "I am Kojiro Nanjo, it is my pleasure to be your friend!" He grinned standing up. I would never love someone's smile more.
"That sounds like dad. The idiot thinks everyone wants to be his friend." Miya snorted. I popped him on the head with a rolled up newspaper. "Hey!" He yelled at me.
"Only I can call him an idiot." I informed him. "Now, tell me how you recall meeting him." I stated. He shrugged.
"I don't." He continued painting. "Kojiro was always there. Or if he had gone some place to cook, then he would call me and mom. When he was there, he would carry me on his shoulders. I felt like the biggest kid in the world." I could see his smile. "He was always so big. I knew he would protect us. Then mom got sick." His hand lowered as he recalled that period in his life. I moved forward to place a towel under the dripping brush.
Sitting on the couch I looked up at him. "There was nothing no one could do. Kojiro's strength couldn't save mom." A tear leaked out of his eye. I brushed it away. He blinked. "I told him I hated him, that it was his fault she died. I blamed him for not saving her." More tears came but he refused to let me touch him.
"You know what that slime did!?" He cried.
"He loved you." I whispered. Miya nodded.
"I would run away and he always found me. He never yelled at me, just picked me up and took me back home."
"Does..." I paused. "Did he ever tell you about his parents?" I asked.
"A little. He doesn't like talking about things that make him sad. But he listens to all sorts of people's problems. I don't get him sometimes." I smiled.
"No, they don't make many people like Kojiro Nanjo." I whispered.
"Would you have done it, take in a stray, as you put it?" He asked.
"Probably not. I didn't come from the loving family Kojiro did." I confessed. He sank down to sit beside me.
"Why do you call him an idiot?" he asked.
"Because he only sees the good in people. He is blind to the bad." Miya was shaking his head.
"That's not true. He hates Adam." He informed me.
"How do you know that?" I asked.
"He told me. Adam took away everything he loved, he could never like a person like that." I gasped.
"Is that what he said?" I was shocked. Why would Kojiro be so open with a kid?
"Not in that many words. He said he was mean and he hurts people who skateboard. After listening to you guys, I figured the rest out." He stated.
"You are very astute." I pointed out. He stood back up remembering he was to be painting.
"Did your mother teach you how to draw?" I asked. Miya shook his head.
"Dad did." I blinked.
"Kojiro can't draw a stick figure!" I cried. Miya giggled.
"I thought you would say that." He turned away to get more paint. "He only told me about you one time. He was showing me how to draw a house. He said that his best friend was a great artist. That he could never be that talented, so he just never told him he could draw." Miya shrugged. He looked down at me. "I've seen what dad can draw, paint, sculpt, if you are better than that, than you're one hell of an artist." He declared. I stood going into the kitchen to take care of my cup.
Kojiro can draw? What else did he hide from me? I glanced out the window. The red haired boy was back. This time he came up to my shop door. I heard the bell ring.
"Miya do you mind getting that, my hands are wet?" I asked.
"Whatever!" He called. I heard him run to the door. Kid, if you are bad at making friends, let me introduce you to your first one. I thought as I picked up the towel to dry my hands. I walked downstairs.
"I'm friends with Mr. Sakurayashiki! So, give me the package!" Miya yelled.
"No! This is for Cherry!" the delivery boy yelled back.
"You stupid slime! Give it to me!" Miya screeched.
"Now boys,.." I broke them up. "Reki, this is my..." I paused smiling at Miya. "... best friend's son, a nephew of sorts, you might say." Reki looked up at me with those large golden eyes of his. "He is new in town and doesn't know anyone. He skateboards." I added. Reki's estimation of the kid went up a thousand percent.
"You can skateboard! Oh man you have got to check out S!" He cried. "Miya, this is Reki. He builds skateboards." I said as I slipped the parcel out of Reki's arms. I signed for it, returning the clipboard to him. "Reki, he is Joe's son." If the kid's eyes could get bigger, I think they would explode out of his head.
"Joe, came home!" He cried. "Oh man will he be at S tonight? I have to tell everyone. No one skates like Joe!" He was off before I could say anything else. I smirked.
"There you go kid, your first friend." I closed the door.
"That slime will never be my friend!" He snorted racing up the stairs.
"Never say never little brat." I snickered as I took the parcel into my office. Opening it I saw it was my replacement business cards. I placed them in my desk, save the two I extracted from the pack.
Walking back into the apartment I saw Miya busy at work. His strokes looked a little to angry. I smirked. You cannot fight it. I am sure you will impress Reki. Once that happens, he will be your friend for life. I smirked as I tucked the card into the back pocket of his pants. He glanced at me.
I twirled the other card through my long fingers. "New business cards came in. You got the first one." I smiled walking back over to my chair.
"You said Joe was different than Kojiro..." Was that a question? I snickered.
"He is. Joe is a notorious playboy." I stated as the front door opened. His arms bulging carrying several bags in each hand, Kojiro walked in. He kicked the door closed before kicking off his shoes off.
"You always say that." He complained.
"It's true." I stated pushing the glasses up on my face.
"But dad isn't like that. I mean, I've never seen him with a girl." Miya stated.
"What about a guy?" I asked, watching the teen between my fringe of hair. He shook his head, then paused.
"Well, once. We were in Spain. There was this guy..." he stopped. "He kept trying to kiss my dad, but dad told him he was in love with someone else." Miya said.
"You heard that?" Kojiro asked from the kitchen. Miya looked up.
"Yeah." He muttered twirling the brush through his fingers. Kojiro was suddenly in front of the kid. He took the brush away wrapping it in a paper towel.
"You can't do that, you will get paint everywhere." He chided.
"Is it..." Miya paused. "Is it ok, to like boys?" He asked sheepishly. "I mean like how other boys like girls?" He added. Kojiro sat back on his heels. He picked up the kid setting him on the couch before him.
"There is nothing wrong with liking boys or girls. You don't always get to choose who you fall in love with." He stated a soft smile spreading over his beautiful face. "I love Kaoru, the same way your mom loved your dad, do you think that's wrong?" He asked. Miya shook his head. Deftly he extracted the brush from the others hand. He went back to painting. I followed Kojiro into the kitchen. After slipping the business card into his shirt pocket, I stated
"Miya tells me you can draw." Kojiro's cheeks colored.
"That little snitch." He whispered. I chuckled moving closer to him. I could feel his body heat.
"I would love to see your art someday." He smirked down at me.
"Sure." He told me. I knew I would have to force him to ever show me. I chuckled.
"Stupid gorilla."