Prologue: Shedding light in the past [continues]
Birthdays in Kiku Heaven. Rejoice!
2. The Yamasakis
Yamasaki Michiko! The very first Mayor of Kiku Heaven, mother of Yokito, Ichiro and Jade, and distant [very distant really] relative of…
... Yamasaki Seamon, father of Nenki, Yoshi and Kelly.
The Yamasakis will do awfully well from the moment they arrive in Kiku Heaven, all thanks to Michiko’s organizing skills. Being energetic, friendly, thoughtful and a caring mother and [distant] Auntie, she manages to keep the lives of all eight people in the household, herself included, in perfect order. News travels fast; when she hears about the library reward given to University professors who perform well, she convinces Seamon to give up his low-paid job in the hospital and apply for a teacher’s post. She will support him during this period with all her strengths: she will stay home to take care of the six children, help them with their homework, have ready freshly-cooked food when they come from school and read them a book when they go to bed at nights. She will clean and tidy up the house and do all the gardening herself to save money, and yet she will find the time and determination to study hard so as to be ready for her future job once the kids enter their teens.
Michiko loves the fragrance of fresh fruits. Her famous orange-pie is children’s favourite desert.
Seamon, on the other hand, seems to be lost as he still finds it difficult to adjust to his new home. Nothing a chat with Koichi cannot fix.
Koichi: Baka! The life here is great. Maybe you need to get laid!
Seamon: You think so?
Koichi: Yes, I do.
Seamon: ...
Koichi: Dude, don’t look at me. I’m taken.
Yokito is a high-spirited and cheerful kid who loves teasing his sister, Jade,
...who falls for his little tricks all the time.
Their third sibling, Ichiro, will spend his time reading books or trying to impress Nenki (Seamon’s second son) by performing [unsuccessfully] acrobatics that end with tears, Nenki booing and Ichiro’s feelings being hurt. Perhaps it is Ichiro’s karma, for he treats his siblings the same way; or, perhaps it is just it, for Ichiro is a special child in a peculiar kind of way. Whatever it is, Ichiro will rarely be seen smiling.
However eager he is to grow up, Ichiro will not smile even in his birthday.
Perhaps Yoshi, Nenki's younger brother, should had blown the candles earlier and show Ichiro how to do it. Ah! Little Yoshi is so optimistic and full of expectations for the life to come.
Yokito's turn is next.
Michiko and her daughter Jade excited watching Yokito's age transition.
Yokito’s birthday present: a shinny cell phone. [Woot!?!]
Yokito: Mum!?
Michiko: I am so proud of you, Yoki-kun! Happy Birthday, darling!
If we hurry up we will make it just in time to Strife household while the last of the Strife kids...
... little Cloud, is about to blow the candles!
This is probably the only photo of Cloud and the rest of the Strifes from their childhood that was saved during the fire at the Archive Centre.
As for Cloud’s, Nobu’s and Hikaru’s father, Kiyoshi, there is no photo from his youth, except a portrait painted by Kobayashi Kenji at a later time.
This cold winter evening there is one more household in Kiku Heaven holding a little birthday party: the Ishikawas. Surrounded by family and friends, in the midst of cheers and encouragement, Yashamaru makes his wish.
Yashamaru: I wish my chin grew bigger...
“It will!” everyone cries out, but little Yashamaru seems concerned with Strife Nobu’s silence.
The age transition was successful, however Yashamaru’s teens hold a surprise for him: his chin will not grow bigger!
Norikazu, who has taken an early interest in the artsy side, will paint Yashamaru’s portrait, showing us the cause of the latter’s frustration.
For some reason, Yashamaru’s frustration grows bigger whenever Strife Cloud is around. [?]
[ TO BE CONTINUED... ]
Technical Notes: Cloud Strife is Nessy Original’s Cloud uploaded at MTS with some tweaking and changes I made at a later date.