For those of you who have read "Wishes in the Rain", this is sort of a sequel
to the story. I've been having trouble with this for a long time, so hopefully
it didn't turn out so bad that you'll all go running for cover after reading
a few lines =P This one goes out to my wonderful pre-reader and friend
Soybean, (who is always there to give encouragement even when my stuff reeks)
4-leafclover, (the only other person I know who can sit with me thru hours
of CMT while eating buffalo wings and pizza) and Clovis the mouse (who eats
more than his body weight in food a day, and will be keeping me company in
Ithaca during this lonely Thanksgiving while his owner is at home for
break).
Visions of Yesterday
"Look out!" The loud scream came too late, for seconds later a loud splash was heard. The source of the shout, a small seven-year old boy, skidded to a halt by the river's edge and stared in horror as his friend fought wildly to stay above water, her dark hair barely visible as she struggled to stay afloat. Without another moment of hesitation, he kicked off his sandals and jumped headfirst into the water, gritting his teeth against the sudden cold. With a few skilled strokes he managed to reach the drowning girl and groaned inwardly as she threw her arms around his neck in a panic. "Kyoko-chan! Relax and don't fight the water!" shouted the boy, who was trying desperately to keep the two of them from drowning. His brown eyes immediately locked with those of the clearest blue, which were now glazed with terror. "Did you hear me, Kyoko-chan?" After a few choking noises, the tiny girl nodded and stopped struggling, allowing the boy to safely guide her back to shore. Minutes later, both children lay panting on the green grass by the riverside, the boy desperately trying to comfort his companion. "You okay?" he asked worriedly while watching Kyoko succumb to a fit of coughing. The five-year old was doubled over, damp strands of dark hair falling in her cherubic face as water dripped from her purple kimono to form a puddle in the surrounding grass. A few more minutes passed before she could answer. "Uh huh," she murmured weakly, her normally exuberant voice barely audible. Raising large blue eyes to the boy who hovered over her anxiously, she bit her bottom lip for a few seconds before continuing. "Arigatou, Masa-niichan." Masahiro glowered at her for few moments and placed his hands on his hips. Water dripped into his face from the strands of spiky brown hair that had gotten drenched in his attempt to save his friend. "I told you to stay away from the river. What if I hadn't gotten there in time?" Kyoko hung her head dejectedly as Masahiro continued his rant. "Just wait until your mom and dad hear about this. Not to mention MY mom and dad. They'll never let us play here again!" His words were cut off abruptly by a small sniffle that emerged from behind the abundance of wet hair and he groaned. "Oh, don't cry Kyoko-chan. I'm sorry…" He sighed as Kyoko continued to sniffle. You just can't win with girls, he thought to himself angrily. Even his own father, who was considered to be one of the fiercest fighters in Tokyo, had never managed to win a single argument with his mother. And despite his age, Masahiro understood enough about women to know that he did NOT want a crying female on his hands. Besides, Kyoko's father had asked him to watch over her, and he didn't look forward to explaining the recent accident to him or his parents. "Kyoko-chan, if you stop crying I'll convince your father to take us to the market tomorrow," offered Masahiro. "Maybe I'll even buy you one of those paper balloons you like so much." The muffled sniffling faded into silence and Kyoko finally looked up with hopeful eyes. "Masa-niichan's not angry at me anymore?" "No." One word was all that the little girl needed and her face broke into a wide grin. "Wai! Maybe Daddy will take us to buy balloons right now!" With a speed that would have put the best swordsmen to shame, the tiny girl latched on to Masahiro's hand and proceeded to lead him home, effectively ignoring his cry of surprise. Masahiro continued to grumble the entire way, wondering what his mother would say about the new hakama and gi that he had managed to ruin. --------------------- The next morning, Masahiro sat up in his futon and looked at his mother warily, knowing exactly what she would say but still not wanting to hear it. "You're running a fever," she informed him in a dry tone, enjoying the scowl that settled on her son's face. "Looks like yesterday's dunking has given you a cold. I did tell you to stay away from the river, Masa-chan." "But Kyoko wouldn't listen!" exclaimed Masahiro indignantly. "It wasn't my fault she got too close and fell in." His mother laughed merrily, reaching out to gently push back a strand of unruly dark hair that fell over her son's forehead. "That girl is entirely too stubborn. Takes after her mother I suppose, even though her father probably has his share of pigheadedness as well." She stood up and gave her son an admonishing look. "No matter who's fault it was, you're the one with a fever. So for now I want you to stay in bed and rest while I go fix you some tea. It should soothe some of the coughing, and with any luck you'll be up and about in a couple of days." Masahiro sighed and leaned his head back against the pillows. There was just no arguing with his mother, and he wasn't in any condition to try either. "Oi, Masa-chan!" The boy looked up to see a tall man leaning against the door, a slightly worried look on his face. "Your mom says you're not feeling too good today." Masahiro made a face at his father, who grinned back. "She wants me to stay in bed for the next few days! Can you believe that?" The two exchanged knowing looks, and the older man winked at his son conspiratorially. "I've learned that it's always best to follow your mother's advice. But if you're up for it, I think there's someone outside who wants to see you." "Who?" asked Masahiro eagerly, just as a small face peered out from behind the door. Kyoko stood with her hands tightly gripping a fistful of his father's white pants, her blue eyes wide with uncertainty. "Masa-niichan's sick?" she asked in a worried whisper, causing the boy to roll his eyes in amusement at her antics. "I'm sure he feels much better now that you're here to visit him, chibi," assured his father gently as he reached down to pick up the small girl in his arms. After depositing her on the futon beside Masahiro, he settled himself next to them on the floor and looked up to find two pairs of eyes staring at him expectantly. "What is it?" he asked, wondering what the two children wanted from him. "I'm bored," answered his son bluntly, just before he was overcome by a succession of sneezes. "I'm bored too!" echoed the small girl next to him. "Masa-niichan can't take me to buy balloons now because he has to stay home!" Masahiro's father raised an eyebrow. "Bored?" he asked. Kyoko nodded emphatically, causing her dark ponytail to bob up and down behind her. Masahiro was also staring up at him with anticipation in his brown eyes. He scratched his head in thought for a long moment before an idea finally hit him. "How about I tell you a story?" he asked. "Wai!" exclaimed Kyoko excitedly, practically bouncing as she clapped her hands together. "What's it about?" asked Masahiro. "It's about a boy," answered his father after a pause. "A boy who became sick, just like you are now." "How'd he get sick? Did he fall into the river too?" "No," replied Masahiro's father. "It was very rainy that day, and he got caught in the middle of a storm with his Taichou. He was so sick that he couldn't even wake up." Kyoko thought for a moment, small hands absently fiddling with her long hair as she considered the words. "Did anybody help him?" she asked in a small voice. "There was no place to stay since all the people had gone inside to hide from the rain. The Taichou refused to give up though. He continued to search the small village they were in, hoping that they would come across a dry place where the sick boy could rest." Brown eyes that were exact replicas of Masahiro's became hazy as distant memories from the past resurfaced with new clarity. "Just when the Taichou began to give up hope, someone crashed into him from behind and dropped a bunch of packages on the ground." "Was he a bad person? A thief maybe?" asked Masahiro excitedly, hoping for some action. His father merely chuckled at the question. "You're entirely too paranoid, Masa-chan. Nope, she was just a young girl who happened to be going home. As it turns out, she was the daughter of a doctor and offered to give the boy and his Taichou a place to stay until it stopped raining." A doctor's daughter just like Mom thought Masahiro in wonder, but before he could ponder over the similarity, his father's deep voice continued, drawing his attention back to the story at hand. "She gave the boy some medicine to drink that night, and by the time morning came he was all better." "I want to be just like her!" piped up Kyoko excitedly. "Then I could make Masa-niichan all better." "What happened next?" questioned Masahiro, covering up a cough with his fist. "Nothing much. The Taichou was so grateful that he gave her a red scarf with special embroidery on it. He told her that if she was ever in trouble, she should have the scarf sent to him and he would come to help. Then he picked up the sleeping boy in his arms and went home." "Did she ever send for him?" asked Masahiro with wide eyes. A slight frown appeared on his father's face before he answered. "No. The Taichou never heard from her again, and the boy never got a chance to thank her." The story was suddenly interrupted by the sound of sliding doors, and all three looked up to see Masahiro's mother and a red-haired man standing in the open doorway. "Someone's here to pick you up, Kyoko-chan." "Daddy!" exclaimed Kyoko as she stood up to hurl herself at her father's legs, almost knocking him over in excitement. Her father lifted Kyoko high in the air and gave her nose a playful tweak. "What were you three up to?" he asked, directing his violet gaze towards Masahiro's father, who flushed slightly, to everyone's amusement. "He was telling a story!" informed Kyoko before anyone else could answer. "Really?" asked her father. "You can tell me and your mother all about it over dinner. It's getting late now, so why don't you say good-bye and let Masahiro get some rest?" "Bye Masa-niichan! Bye everyone!" Kyoko grinned, twining her arms around her father's neck in a brief hug. He turned to Masahiro's mother with a smile. "Thank you for watching her for us. I hope she didn't bother you too much." "Of course not, Ken-san! Kyoko-chan was the perfect guest. Isn't that right?" Kyoko beamed and nodded proudly, waving good-bye as her father carried her out the door. "And now, it's time for your medicine young man." The announcement caused Masahiro to grimace as his mother handed him a cup of medicinal tea. "Do I have to?" he asked, looking up at his mother with pleading brown eyes. "You know better than to ask stupid questions like that." Masahiro sighed before pinching his nose shut and swallowing the liquid in one gulp. Making a face, he handed the cup back to his father, who watched him with a sympathetic grin. His mother nodded approvingly. "That's good. Now get some rest and I'll come in to check on you later today." Turning to her husband, she reached out to grab him by the ear in one quick motion. "And you're coming with me, Roosterhead. You can continue your tale after your son gets some sleep!" "Hey Fox, that hurts!" yelped his father as he was dragged from the room, while Masahiro looked on with a rueful grin. "Good night, Masa!" His mother slid the doors shut behind her and the young boy snuggled his head deeper into his pillow, allowing the warm medicine to do its work. Seconds later, his eyes drifted shut and Masahiro was fast asleep. ------------------- A few hours later, Masahiro's father emerged from his son's room to find his wife standing outside the doorway. "How is he?" she asked, pushing an errant lock of dark hair behind her ear. A faint grin crossed his face before he answered. "He's been sleeping for the past hour, but I think he's getting better. His face isn't so red anymore and his forehead's cooler." "That's good. We probably won't be able to keep Masa-chan in bed for too long once he regains his energy. But while we have the time, I want to give you something." She reached into the sleeve of her kimono and pulled out a long piece of red cloth, handing it to her husband with a flourish. Brown eyes widened as he realized it was a red Seikhoutai bandana, complete with the kanji for "Sagara" embroidered on the left edge. "Where did you get this?" he asked in a hushed whisper, his fingers tracing the lines of delicate embroidery in awe. The bright red color was slightly faded from age and the material felt unbelievably soft in his hands. His wife tossed her long hair and gave him a saucy grin. "A very handsome man gave it to me as a reward for curing a sick chicken-head. I've never had the opportunity to put it to good use, you know." Wrapping his arms around the woman who had saved his life so long ago, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "Well I'm sure the chicken-head would very glad to return the favor you did for him." She pulled out of his arms slightly and gave her husband a coy smile. "You think so?" He nodded with a wicked grin, his warm gaze burning with both love and gratitude as he stared into her eyes. "Well then, why don't we get started?" And with that she reached up to pull his head down to hers, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. ---------------------
Notes: This story might seem a bit strange =) I thank anyone who managed
to read thru all the way to the end. *deep bow*
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