by Ash Mio
“I want a shit ton of photos,” he said as he snapped a picture of me sitting on a bench. I guess it does bother him that I have to leave in January. I should think of ways to come back to Japan sooner. If I graduated early, then maybe…
“Will, let’s go before it gets too dark.” Hikari holds onto my hand.
“Okay.”
I really felt like I didn’t want the date to end yet. This was the first time I’ve felt like this.
”Want to come visit?” I said it on a whim, but I really didn’t want him to leave me just yet.
“I don’t have a gift with me.”
“It’s okay, we can count that daikon radish last time.”
He nods shyly.
“I’m home.”
“Sorry for the intrusion.”
The Tachibanas were sitting on the couch watching t.v.“Oh my Will-kun, you brought a friend home? This is the first time.” Hikari nervously walked inside.
“I’ll make some tea and snacks.” Mrs. Tachibana excitedly went to the kitchen.
“Thank you.”
Ryo stared at Hikari. “Is this your friend Will-nii?”
“Yes.” My boyfriend actually.
“His face is so girly.” Ah. Kids are too honest sometimes.
“Ryo, that’s rude to say.” Mrs. Tachibana scolded. “Sorry Hikari-kun.”
“Sorry for having such a girly face,” Hikari mumbled. Is he really bothered by it?
We sit and talk until the snacks are ready. Hikari eats like a little chipmunk.
“These are so good! And this tea is so drinkable. Best tea in the world.”
It’s just regular tea...I laugh. Compared to his mom’s tea, I’m sure anything normal would be impressive. Ryo stared at me with his mouth open.
“Will-nii laughed mom!” He yells really loudly.
Hikari is confused at the commotion.
Mrs. Tachibana poked her head out of the kitchen. “I want to take a picture. Did he really laugh Ryo?”
“Guys…”
They made a big fuss over it until Mrs. Tachibana got a picture.
We head to my room and close the door.
“Your room is kind of bare.” Hikari observed.
“Better to travel light.” I slip my arms around him.
“You know we haven’t….today…” He says too softly to hear. I know it’s going to be something cute, and I bend down to hear better.
“What was that?”
“We haven’t you know…kissed today at all.” Where does he learn these seduction techniques?
“I actually wanted our next kiss to come from you, so I was waiting.”
“Oh…so that’s it.” He looks at me then looks away and then at me again. He puts his hand on my face, pulls me in and gives me the softest kiss that barely touches my lips, then pulls away embarrassed.
“Hikari, I’m not going to be satisfied with that.” I kiss him again. Our faces are intertwined for a long time. There’s a knock at the door.
“Will-nii let’s play video games.”
“One second Ryo.” I give Hikari a last kiss on the forehead and opened the door.
“Will-nii! You haven’t been playing with me lately.”
“I’m sorry Ryo. Let’s play now. But can Hikari play too?”
Ryo stares at Hikari. “Fine.” He mumbles.
We played a racing game and Hikari beats Ryo to win first place. “Ahh. I lost to a girly otaku.”
“Ryo be nice to Hikari.”
“You’re a thousand years too early to play against me kid,” Hikari looks fired up.
“I want a rematch!”
“You’re going to lose again.”
“Shut up! I won’t lose.” They played until late. Hikari mercilessly beat him every time.
“Alright time to go to bed.” Ryo hunches over in front of the t.v. screen. “I can’t believe I lost.” Hikari smiles and pats Ryo on the head. “You made a valiant effort kid.”
“Next time, I won’t lose!” Ryo runs to his room.
I guess they get along now.
“Hikari is surprisingly childish.”
“He called me girly.” He pouts.
“Come on I’ll walk you home. Don’t want any perverts or stalkers trying to kidnap you.”
I have to do everything I can to spend every moment I can with him…every moment.
After I walk Hikari home and come back to the house, Mrs. Tachibana greets me at the door. “Welcome back.”
“I’m back.”
“Your friend is a nice boy.” She says as she washes the dishes. “ I’m glad you’ve made a close friend Will-kun. You didn’t open up to us until recently. I thought you didn’t like living with us.” She laughed.
“Really?” Was I the one creating distance?
“Yes, but yesterday, you asked us about places to go and you even brought a friend home today. I feel like you’re beginning to think of this as your home too.”
“I do. And I’ll try my best these remaining months.” I smile.
I’ll have to try my best in more ways than one I think.
Ch. 14 Hikari
It’s almost autumn now. The leaves are starting to fall from the trees and the days are getting shorter. Will and I have been dating for a few months. We go on dates every chance we get to the aquarium, to festivals, to parks…etc. With each date we get closer to each other.
The new trimester is starting now and lately Will and I haven’t been going on dates. Will’s been working on schoolwork every chance he gets. He doesn’t take his time at lunch or on breaks anymore.
He told me he was going to try and graduate a whole year earlier, so he had to do a lot of work. He had already decided to go to university in Japan a while ago, so he’d also have to prepare for the exams for that. Some classes are taught in English he said, so it’ll be manageable. I seriously had my doubts.
I make him lunch everyday with plenty of food good for stamina. We sometimes eat outside or on the roof, and he falls asleep in my lap without eating. I stroke his hair when he sleeps and he hugs me tightly.
I’ve been trying not to think about him leaving for however long. Long distance only works in manga, but still…. I stare at his tired face. Isn’t there some way?
I wake him up in time for class. “I’m sorry I couldn’t eat the lunch you made.” He says. “You can eat it later.”
He splashed some water on his face and we walk back to class.
Emi is standing in front of the class when we walk in. She’s making an announcement.
“Class 2-B will be participating in the cultural festival, so we would like suggestions on what we want to do as a class.”
That’s right. We’re going to get a little busier with preparations for the cultural festival. Each class does something different. We have a choice to put on a food stall, put on a play, do a haunted house etc. It just has to be approved. But it’s an entirely student produced event with adults only supervising.
“A cultural festival. We don’t have those in the states.” Will seemed interested in the festival. He covered his yawn. Cultural festivals were always a pain in the ass for me, but if Will likes it then I want to make it memorable for him.
“Alright, please raise your hand if you have a suggestion.”
Emi is our class representative. She’s a good leader who people find easy to follow. It also helps that she’s a little bit intimidating.
“How about a haunted house?”
“That’s not bad, but remember it’s a lot of work to make the props and costumes.”
“I really think we should do a food stall or café.”
“It would probably bring in the most revenue...”
“How about a baseball themed café?” Shun suggested.
“Rejected.” Emi said immediately. The class laughed.
“ A photo booth?”
“Most people have their own cameras though. I don’t think a lot of people would come.”
“………�
��
I zone out a little, but we argued over what to do until we decided on a butler and maid café. They’re a popular attraction in Tokyo.
“Outfits will be easier to sew than costumes.”
“But I don’t know how to sew!”
“Me either.”
“I’ll just ask my mom.”
“Do you know how to sew Will?” Someone asks Will. He hasn’t gotten any less popular. I’m a little bitter about that.
“If you need help, I could take your measurements and sew it for you.”
“I’ll be fine thank you.” He says listlessly. The girl walks away a little disappointed.
“Doesn’t Will seem less energetic nowadays?” She whispers.
“Wonder what’s wrong.”
“Maybe he’s sad. This will be his only cultural festival.”
This will be his only high school cultural festival. I can’t think of anything that would take his mind off of the fact. The anxiety of separation is starting to become real, even though we still have several months left.
Because of the festival, our classes are shortened to allow us to prepare. The girls are busy sewing their maid outfits and the guys are helping to build signs and stands for the food. Will worked on completing his coursework every chance he got. When we did study sessions with Emi and Mei, he’d be working hard on his homework. Will still tried to help out with the festival as much as he could, but everyone could see he was reaching his limit. They tried not to ask him for help, but he insisted on doing some of the physical work.
While I was sewing the butler costume, I heard the sound of a hammer dropping on wood.
“Will! Are you okay?” Will was holding his hand. He must have hit his hand really hard because it looked red already.
“Will, let’s go get you some ice.” Emi suggests worriedly.
“Hmm? I think I’ll be okay.” He says sleepily. I run over with my sewing to see his hand. It looks swollen.
“There’s no way you’re okay,” Emi yelled at him.
“Hikari, take him to the infirmary.” She takes the needle and thread from me and puts Will’s arm around me. He slumps a little since he’s so tall. His eyes are dark. Everyone is looking really worried.
I guide Will through the hallway. He laughs in a high pitch voice.
“It’s a wild Hikari walking through the field.” This guy has definitely gone crazy.
“How much sleep have you been getting?”
“Sleeeeeep. Sounds like sheep.” He laughs again. Only in English dummy.
“Yes.”
“Sheeeeep.”
“Yes.”
I bandage his hand and put an ice pack on it. Will bobs his head up and down.
“Will come lay on the bed. You need some sleep.” He smiles and drifts back to sleep in the chair. I try to drag him over to the bed, but he’s significantly taller and heavier than me. I tug at his clothes.
“Will if you move onto the bed, I’ll give you a kiss.” He doesn’t respond. Should I hit him instead? I look at his sleeping face. His face is just so beautiful asleep. His eyelashes flicker and he breaths out.
It feels like hitting a sleeping puppy. I definitely can’t do it. I rub my face in frustration. Maybe I should get some help. Damn. If only I were bigger.
I squeeze his good hand.
“Will, I’m going to look for someone stronger to move you to the bed. I’ll be right back okay?” He stays sleeping.
“nnnnoo. Dun go Hikari…” He mumbles and grabs onto me. “dun go…”
“Then move onto the bed dumbass.” I say softly.
He unsteadily gets up and walks over to the bed. His feet shuffle and his eyes are only halfway open. He falls onto the bed on his side. I try to catch him. He pins my arm slightly under his shoulder. I wiggle my arm out and put the blanket over him.
He was completely knocked out on the bed. I brushed his hair out of his face.
“What should I do? You’re so stubborn.” I kiss him on the lips, lightly.
Emi came to check on us and I told her that I’d stay with Will until he woke up. She put a hand on my shoulder lightly, gave it a small squeeze, and then left. She was worried about him too.
Will finally woke up when school was over and the last bell rung.
“Hikari?” He blinked sleepily.
“Hey, how’s your hand?”
He thought for a moment as if he were trying to find it. “It’s throbbing a little.”
I grab a new ice pack and put it on top of his hand.
“Thanks.”
I held his good hand for a while tracing his fingers. He kneaded my fingers between his. I need to tell him.
“Will… I think graduating a year early when you’re doing a study abroad is too crazy a plan. It’s too much at once.” My voice began to shake. “I think… you should take the extra few months to finish school in the states. You’re working yourself too hard right now.” I hold his hand tighter.
He looked surprised. “What are you saying Hikari? If I do that, we’d be apart for a year or more!” He quickly got up. His face is more panicked than I’d ever seen it.
“I don’t want to be apart from you for that long.” His voice cracks.
“I don’t either, but at this rate, you’re not even able to enjoy the rest of your exchange. You’ve got a part time job too.”
He looked hurt. “I know that! But I can do it! I promise!” He sounds like he’s pleading with me, asking me permission for him to do this. He grabs both of my hands, not caring about his injury.
“Will, we will be okay even if we’re apart for a year.” I look at him in the eyes. I had my doubts earlier, but if it means taking some of the burden off of Will, then it’ll be okay. We’ll make it okay.
He shook his head.
“We’re in completely different time zones. It’s too expensive to visit often and what if…” He struggles. “What if you think it’s better without the trouble? You won’t get stared at anymore since we’re not together. What if you fold into pressure and someone convinces you to date a girl instead?”
Why is he saying such a thing?
“That’s some real insulting shit you’re saying to me Will.”
He snaps out of it. “I’m sorry….I’m just scared.”
“I’m scared too! I’m scared of the same thing happening as you!” My emotions start to swell. I panic.
“What if you come back and tell me you want to break up? What if you don’t even come back at all?”
My voice goes hysterical. “You’re not the only one who’s scared Will! But I’m telling you that I can’t stand seeing you this way! It hurts to see you at the point of exhaustion! And this is the only ….the ONLY thing I can think of to do for you!”
“Hikari….I don’t want to leave…” He holds onto my hand like a child. His eyes fill and it just breaks me. I have to get out of the room because I can’t look at him like this anymore.
“You dumbass! We’ll continue this conversation another time.” I shake off his hand.
“Hikari! Wait!”
“I said we’ll talk another time! I can’t look anymore!”
“Hikari!” I hear his cry echo from the infirmary.
I run away. Damn it. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
I’m worried too that you’ll find someone in the states or that you’ll get tired of talking over the phone. I’m scared too. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t but….what other way is there?
When I got home, I couldn’t help but cry in my bed. The pillow was wet as I waited for a message from Will.
He didn’t send one.
I roll around in my bed frustrated and fight back the continuous tears.
I should have been softer with him….I should have tried to make him understand my intention better. Does he think I want to be a part longer? Does he think I’ll break up with him and find someone else?
I wipe my face and sat at my desk and start writing…this might be the only thing I can d
o for him.
The next day, Will wasn’t at school. Terada sensei said he’d caught a cold and couldn’t get up out of bed. Everyone is worried.
“I hope he’s okay.”
“He’s been studying and working a lot lately.”
The class isn’t as energetic without Will like the sun had been sucked away.
“Everyone’s kinda quiet today.”
I try not to pay attention and sew the outfits. Sewing is what I have to do right now. I mess up and have to re-stitch a couple of times. Why won’t the seams line up straight? I cut them in frustration.
Emi comes up to me and hands me another costume.
“Here. It’s Will’s.”
“Thanks.” I say quietly. I want to go see how he’s doing. Did he drink his medicine yet? Is he finally sleeping?
“You know we need that costume to fit. It’d be trouble if Will’s was the only one that didn’t fit since he’ll draw in a lot of customers.” Emi clears her throat.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough to see him right now. I feel like I’d cry again just thinking about it.”
Emi pinches my cheeks. “Hikari. You’ll regret it a lot more if you don’t go to him. You want him to enjoy the rest of his time don’t you?”
My eyes start to get misty. I can only nod.
“Then go, stupid. That’s what you need to do right now. The more you wait, the worse it gets.”
…………………………………………………………………………..
After school, I stopped by his house with the finished costume. Ryo answered the door. “It’s the girly otaku gamer.” I’ll ignore that for today.
“Is Will home? I need to do a fitting for his costume.”
Ryo folded both his arms. “Will-nii is in bed. No visitors.”
This brat. “I’m not leaving until I see him.”
He put up both his fists. “You’ll have to get through me.”
Guess I’ve got no choice. I pull out my secret weapon. “If you let me through, I’ll let you have these fancy cakes.” I open the box I’ve been carrying.
Ryo’s eyes light up. “Welcome to our house!” He moves aside to let me in.
“Sorry for the intrusion.” I go directly to Will’s bedroom and knock on the door. There isn’t an answer, so I open it and peek in. Will is sleeping. He’s got a cold pack on his forehead. He opens his eyes slightly and looks towards the door. “Hikari? Is that you?” His voice is hoarse.