June 13,2021 | 12:15 pm
The trip back to the Kyoto region was quiet, but before Hikaru knew it, he was taking the bullet train to Tokyo instead. Interviews for employees would be the next day, so he had some time on his hands. What better way to spend time than with his best friend? He dialed him on his phone to check on Takumi's schedule.
"Moshi Moshi?"
"Dou yo? How's it going? I'm on the shinkansen going in your direction. Are you busy?"
"Hirugohan with Brie-chan. How far away are you, Hikaru?"
"45 minutes or so. Don't rush your lunch on my account."
"Hai. Meet me at the studio. Ato de hanashimashou. We'll talk later."
"Atodo. See you soon."
Wanting to give Takumi quality time with his family and time to go to his music studio still located at his parent's mansion, Hikaru decided to take his own time looking around the city. It seemed like yesterday that his friends and he roamed the streets in Tokyo, living their lives to the fullest. The mid-morning rush was expected and Hikaru happily took it all in. He had come to Tokyo in his youth to go to medical school, living a few apartment complexes away from Takumi at the time. At the time, the only problem they had was with Takumi's older cousin, Tsuyoshi who was trying to be a part of a gang. Trying to better themselves, the two friends tried their best to stay out of his way but had no choice when Briseis came into the picture.
Brie was a foreign student who was trying to broaden her horizons while learning Japanese and pursuing her degree in drawing and painting. Takumi who lived across from her fell for her instantly, but unfortunately after bumping into her unintentionally, so did Tsuyoshi's gang boss. The result was a story of romance as Takumi and Brie fell deeper for one another and a story of danger as Takumi and Hikaru tried their best to protect the woman who was steadily growing as a part of their lives. In the end, Tsuyoshi ended up losing his life, protecting Briseis while Brie had no choice but to return to Texas for even further protection from the gang.
Things worked out for the better though, years later and Hikaru smiled as he ate a bite of gyoza he bought to eat for his own lunch, thinking about the two and their little one. Their own little family growing. Even though they hadn't talked about it, Hikaru deep inside wished for his own little family and as much as he knew a son would be wanted more for the family as a whole, he wanted a daughter. A baby girl who he could protect just as much as he protected the woman he loved. That seemed so far off in the future.
They were getting married, though, so that was a good step in the direction he wanted.
Music from the piano was already in full swing when Hikaru walked inside of the Ichikawa grounds. Takumi's parents still lived in the main house but were all too happy to give their son his own area to work on his songs. Walking into the studio, Hikaru smiled as the music stopped and his best friend waved at him.
"Looks like I'm later than I thought." He said and Takumi shook his head.
"Not at all. I rushed my lunch. Brie-chan knew I was excited to come here to see you. She'll be coming later on but for now, I can't wait to show you this new song I thought of."
Hikaru smiled. He was always happy to hear Takumi play. Unlike himself, who only played his violin as a hobby, he wasn't at all surprised at the career path that his best friend chose. When Takumi's hands touched the ivory keys, it was like he became another person. Music propelled him, filled him, defined him. He had a way of making the notes flow right into your heart, even at practice.
It was even double that whenever Hikaru would play with him and to this day, nobody except for Aija had as much harmony with him as Takumi did. Music was one big link of their friendship from the start and Hikaru knew that link would never break, even if from time to time they did have their differences.
"I can't wait to hear you play."
Takumi paused and fixed Hikaru with an amused grin before pointing over to a chair situated next to his piano. A music stand stood in front of it, making Hikaru shake his head with a just as amused sigh. After removing his suit jacket, he made his way into the studio over to where a violin case sat on the chair.
"You could have just told me you wanted to play, baka," Hikaru said, looking over at his best friend.
"Nani? Without the element of surprise? Where's the fun in that?"
Taking out the violin without gracing Takumi with an answer, Hikaru looked it over. Because it wasn't his, he always felt a bit of irritation with it not being tuned to his standards. Takumi, however, had been a few steps ahead of him, making sure the bow had resin on it and that the strings were tuned how he liked it.
"Baiorin o chūningu shite kurete arigatō, watashi no tomodachi. Thank you for tuning the violin, my friend."
"Dōitashimashite. You're welcome. I made this song slow-paced so you can ease back into things. I know you don't play every day like you used to."
Hikaru nodded in agreement, placing the violin under his chin, studying the musical notes as Takumi settled on the bench of his piano. The two met eye contact and gave one more nod to each other before Takumi began to play a slow, repetitive tune with the ivory keys.
Once it was his turn, Hikaru started playing the instrument in his hand, the mellow tones of the violin reaching in and soothing his spirit. His music mixed harmoniously with Takumi's, their song reaching a crescendo of tones that rose and dipped before swirling around one another. He loved this. This was one of the elements he did, and he did well.
The music between the two resonated within the space of the studio, both men starting to play with their eyes closed, knowing by heart the sounds of the keys. The song lasted about five minutes but for Hikaru and Takumi it felt like hours. After they played they decided to catch up.
"So, Aija went back home?" Takumi asked as he played back the recording of them playing at a low volume. He glanced at his best friend who sat leaned back on a chair, nodding.
"Hai. Just for her aunt's wedding though."
"So why didn't you join her? Were you not invited?"
Hikaru explained the situation with the clinic and Takumi nodded before letting him know that he wouldn't mind helping him out if he wanted to get on the Tengoku and head back to the States.
"I wouldn't want to inconvenience you, Taku. You live further away from me than in our old days."
Takumi waved him away. "Just let me know and I'll help with whatever you need."
Hikaru put a hand on his heart. He had the greatest best friend. Bar none. "Arigato, Takumi."
"Hey... we're here." A voice called out, prompting Hikaru and Takumi to glance over towards the door where Briseis came in holding a gray and black baby carrier covered with a white linen blanket in the crook of her arm. She looked up and, pleasantly surprised to see Hikaru, she smiled.
"Hi, Hikaru-kun!"
Hikaru raised his chin in greeting, returning the smile. "Hey, Aoi. Bring that godson of mine over here." He made grabbing fingers as Briseis walked over to them, letting Takumi relieve her of the carrier.
"With pleasure. I'm sure Tomio would love to be snuggled by whoever wants him."
Takumi smiled at his sleeping son as he unbuckled him from the seat and lifted him out. After kissing the side of his head, he handed him to Hikaru, who immediately put his hand under his wobbly head, taking in his attire, which only consisted of a blue t-shirt and his diaper.
"Ohayo, To-kun. Still in that sleep all the time mode?" He asked as the baby stretched out his limbs with a round-mouthed yawn. Then eyes of brown and blue opened. Hikaru blinked, looking over at the two parents, who smiled knowingly.
"Heterochromia?"
They nodded as Briseis laughed as if she was still getting used to it herself. "Yep. We were told his eye color might change, but this seems to be sticking around."
"That's amazing. You're already quite unique, huh, To-kun?" Tomio quietly stared up at his godfather before squinting his eyes and giving a bit of a smile, resulting in laughs all around. After getting a blanket from the baby bag, Hikaru settled back down in his chair, holding Tomio in the crook of his arm, patting his diapered bottom gentle-like while Briseis opted for sitting on Takumi's lap, much to his delight.
"So what are your plans today?" She asked while kissing her husband's head. Hikaru watched Takumi respond by rubbing her back, instantly missing Aija already.
"I'm going to my parents' to eat later on tonight. Asami should be there too so it will be an actual family dinner. We haven't had one of those in forever since Aija and I have gotten together.
Takumi nodded while Briseis winced. "Yikes. That must be a lot of tension growing in your fam, sugar."
Hikaru scoffed with a smile, glancing down at Tomio, a fondness growing in his heart for the babe. "You have no idea. Wish me luck tonight."
Takumi chuckled. "With your father...you're going to need it."
There were no lies told.
6:17 pm
The Mizuno mansion Hikaru grew up in looked almost exactly the way it did before he had to join his father in America. Almost instantly, nostalgia ran through Hikaru's whole being, looking around the home where he grew up for most of his childhood. It was as if nothing had really changed, despite how long his mother and father had lived in Tacoma, leaving the home empty for so many years. Housekeepers still came in and out to clean it, making sure no pests were around and that the house still retained its value for if or when the family would return to Japan.
"Taidama." Hikaru said more out of habit than not, and after a minute he heard his mother's voice calling back to him.
"Okaenari. Come on in. I just got a little of dinner left to cook."
Hikaru smiled at the thought of his mother's home cooking and hurried with putting his slippers on to help her out if needed. The vision of her near the stove in the kitchen made his heart so happy, and he went up to her. Her hair was in a bun and she looked quite cozy in a white shirt and tan linen pants.
Chinatsu smiled back at her oldest before she asked, "How are things, son?"
Hikaru reached over to grab some dishes and chopsticks so the family could eat. At her question, he started to answer like he always did before pausing.
"Hm. You know... I'm not sure how to answer that anymore, Okaa-san." At her soft smile, he grinned. "I'll get back to you on that but for now...I'm happy."
That satisfied Chinatsu and she turned back to finish up on dinner. Hikaru set the table, making sure it looked immaculate for his father's approval. He wasn't sure why he did that. Habit probably.
"Hey, Aniki..." Asami greeted her brother as she came from a side room. As he waved back, her dark eyes searched behind him before she frowned. "Where's Aija?" Hikaru smiled widely. Asami loved Aija just as much as he did and if he wasn't getting married to her, he guessed even more so.
"She's back in the states for the time being." He answered while kissing his little sister's forehead. Chinatsu glanced over her shoulder at the two with a disappointed look.
"How unfortunate." was what was started from her mouth before Ryu interrupted from the couch. Hikaru hadn't even seen him.
"How is it unfortunate? Now we can truly discuss things without having Hikaru become distracted by that woman."
Hikaru looked over at his mother, who had paused in her cooking to catch eyes with him, willing him to stay where he was; she knew he wouldn't take much of what his father would throw at him if he could get in his car and leave to go home. She tried to smooth things over before they could get rough.
"It's unfortunate because I had planned a dinner for ALL of us, Ryu."
Ryutaro got up slowly from the couch, turning to face his family, who stared back at him, taking in his confused expression. "The solution is apparent for that, isn't it? Hikaru will call up Mizuki to join us."
Hikaru's eyeballs could have gotten stuck up in his skull for how high he rolled them at hearing his father's words. "Oh, Kami...here we go." He said, hearing Asami sigh behind him. Seeing his father's scowl, he shrugged, wanting to get this matter settled once and for all. "Why do you keep bringing up that woman in our conversations?"
"Because you're getting married to her!"
Chinatsu and Asami gasped; they had not been informed of this information and Hikaru grimaced in humiliation. What a shitstorm this was becoming for him.
"What is he talking about, Hikaru? You're engaged to Aija! I was there when you proposed to her!" Asami exclaimed, rushing to face him.
"I'm aware of this-" Hikaru started to reply, only to be stopped short by Ryutaro walking over to the two of them with an incredulous look.
"What do you mean, you were there? You knew about this Asami?! You knew he was going behind my back and didn't tell me?"
Asami's auburn hair waved around her shoulders as she swung to face her father, realizing that she said too much. "Hai, Otou-san...a-ano..." She struggled for her words before Hikaru put her behind him towards her mother.
"I'll take responsibility for that. I had a plan. I asked her to help me with it, and it worked."
The two men stared each other down as Ryu's gaze became darker with his anger and he pointed at Hikaru unleashing his ire yet again on him. "What a fucking disappointment you are to this family..." resulting in equally surprising reactions all over the kitchen.
"Atama o hiyase, Ryutaro! Get a hold of yourself!" Chinatsu exclaimed while Asami gasped in shock.
Meanwhile, Hikaru glared and pointed at his father, not taking his crap once again. "Sore wa chigaimasu! You're wrong! I'm only a fucking disappointment to YOU." He shook his head, ready to be done with this.
"When will you get it through your head, Otou-san? I'm engaged to another woman. Aija! Not Mizuki. What you did was wrong and I'm not going to go along with your plan no matter what deal falls through because of it."
"I won't accept this marriage! I won't accept you being married to a black woman, Hikaru. Not now, not ever!"
The silence was deafening until Hikaru regained his clarity. "Oh, so now the truth really comes out! It's not just because you think Aija is wrong for me, it's because she's black! My father... a fucking racist." Hikaru exclaimed, shaking his head shamefully.
"Call me what you want but if you want to remain a part of this family, Hikaru, you will do what I say and you will marry Shizuru Mizuki."
"So wa omoimasen."
Chinatsu sighed, hating the fighting between the two men in her life. "Ryutaro..."
"Then if that's the case..."
All heads turned to Asami who had tears in her eyes. Chinatsu stood up and took a step toward her distraught daughter, only to be stopped short by Asami's hand. She stood up and held her head high to stare at her father.
"If that's the case... then you need to disown me too, Otou-san."
Hikaru cocked his head in confusion.
Asami pulled out her phone and, after scrolling through a few times with her finger, held the phone up to show her father the photo of her kissing a smiling dreadlock-haired black man on his cheek. Ryutaro blinked in shock before his brows furrowed.
"Who the hell is this man, Asami?"
Asami sniffed, wiping her eyes as she said, "This is Ronan. My boyfriend of two years, Otou."
Hikaru and Chinatsu caught unaware glances at each other and then over at Ryu who was expressionless. He stood there calmly, tension tightening his jaw. While Hikaru knew to stay put, Asami took a step forward toward her father so was completely caught off guard when he switched gears and yelled out into the house at her.
"HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?!"
Asami jumped back and Chinatsu was behind her, balancing her as they glanced at the man in front of them in shock. Hikaru once again stepped in front of her.
"What are you yelling for? This is your daughter!"
"My daughter, who has been going behind my back screwing black men, obviously. You're supposed to be going to college to learn and graduate, not fraternize with men, Asami! What are you using your time for?!" Ryutaro's breath was harsh as he stared down at Asami. Her eyes flared momentarily in surprise.
"What are you trying to say, Otou? That your daughter is a whore?"
"If the damn shoe fits. Open your eyes, Asami, and you better stop while you're ahead or you'll end up fucking up your life like your damn brother."
Their father's jab didn't affect him, but Hikaru's heart broke at seeing Asami's destroyed face. Her eyes glimmered with tears and her features contorted to keep them inside. He reached for her, but she wrenched her arms out of her mother's grasp before walking up to their father, her stare bold.
"No. You open your eyes, Otou. I'm not fucking up my life, as you so say. You are. I'll be damned if you keep me away from a man who has loved me for two years. If you try, you can forget you have a daughter too.
"Sami, nooo..." Hikaru heard his mother sob out, each one twisting his heart like a soaked towel. Chinatsu looked at Ryutaro. "Ryu, stop this. We're losing our children.
"Our children betrayed us first, Chi! This is not how this family is going to be. I forbid it!"
Asami shook her head, no doubt not recognizing the man in front of her face. In a move Hikaru knew too well, she walked around to the kitchen, grabbed her purse, and made her way out of the house, ignoring the authoritative calling of her name from her father. Hearing the door slam, Chinatsu turned to lean on the kitchen table, sobbing on her forearms, devastated. Hikaru kept his gaze on his father, who finally scoffed in exasperation before walking to the back of the house.
It was like his life all over again except this time, it was his sister who was taking all the hurt and Hikaru knew he had to protect her; her heart wasn't as hardened as his was.
As soon as he made sure that his mother had been pacified from her crying, Hikaru left the home on a mission. He had Takenouchi drive him to Gio-Ji Temple. The temple was a secret spot that most tourists didn't really know about; they would mostly walk past it to more popular places. Only residents such as himself knew what was really treasured there. A moss-covered garden surrounded by lots of trees. It was a great place to get away and just meditate on things. That's why Hikaru wasn't surprised after turning the corner of the temple to see the familiar hair of his sister, who sat on the temple steps staring out at the moss. He approached her quietly, his footsteps barely heard. Asami turned her head when she sensed him nearby, and he smiled at her warmly.
"I knew you'd be here."
Asami gave him a smile back. "Hai. Koko ni iru yo. You know my favorite spot well, Aniki. I just had to get away from all of that bullshit going on in there." Hikaru nodded, understanding all too well the bullshit that came with his father. He came over to Asami's side, fixing his jeans a bit before sitting down. He stayed quiet, waiting to see if his little sister needed to vent, and sure enough, he didn't have to wait long.
"How long have you been going through this with Otou, Hikaru?" She asked, her voice hollow and detached.
Hikaru sighed, thinking back on everything that happened with Aija and himself, hiding from his father. "He had his suspicions about us during the summer, but it wasn't until he found out about us after Jamaica that he really started showing his dislike for Aija. He's been trying to push her away from me so I can find somebody Japanese." He glanced over at Asami, whose look of disbelief made him give a soft smirk. "I'm pretty sure that she and I haven't seen the end of Otou's war, sadly."
"He's going to be like this to me and Ronan too, isn't he?" Asami asked with pleading eyes as if asking him to tell her no.
Hikaru couldn't lie to her. After seeing Ronan, who looked as though he originated from the Caribbean, he knew that things would be just as hard for Asami, who deserved better than that. "It's likely, Chibi-sami." Asami looked down at the grass again and Hikaru decided to try to change the subject for the time being.
"Why didn't you tell me about him before?" He asked, and she looked up at him before up at the sky in thought.
"I wasn't ready to share."
Hikaru laughed, ruffling her hair a bit. "But it was okay for me to share all about Aija." He remembered how she pretty much interrogated him in the car about the new woman in his life.
Asami joined in his laughter. "This is true. I guess after finding out she was black, I wanted to see how things would work out for you both...in case I needed to figure out what to do for Ro and myself." She stared into Hikaru's eyes, and he was taken back to how serious she was after finding out Aija's race. It all made sense now.
"So now that you've seen how things are working out, what's next for you, imoto?"
Asami looked ahead before she sighed, her shoulders slumping. Hikaru started to reach out to comfort her, but then she whipped her head over to him.
"I'm going to continue living my life with Ronan. Just like you, I'm not going to let Otou tear us apart. He doesn't get a say in who I love."
Hikaru nodded in agreement before he chuckled. "Just be careful, Asami. You might have an arranged marriage in your future too." At Asami's unimpressed expression, he nudged her to the side playfully, relieved to hear her light laugh. "Joking. You know I'm here for you, Asami. We have each other's back, right?"
Asami nodded before putting her head on Hikaru's shoulder. "Right. Always."
The two siblings said nothing more, content to look at the peaceful view in front of them; their refuge of peace in a storm of chaos overtaking their family.