[Maiga Fic]: What Love’s All About (One-shot)
Pairing: OT5 (hinted Ohmiya, hinted Sakumoto)
Rating: G
Word Count: 4,961 words
Genre: Alternate Universe (Maiga universe)
Disclaimer: Purely a figment of my imagination; the fic, that is. Not them, of course. :)
Summary: Shiro-kun was finally liberated from his project, and all he wanted was one thing.
A/N: A promise for fic for carrotfreak that is WWWAAAYYYY overdue. Here’s your beloved Maiga Arashi-as-brothers fic. Sorry the long wait dearie. About to start, but from oldest to youngest: Ichiro [Satoshi], Jiro [Sho], Saburo [Masaki], Shiro [Kazu] and last but not least, Goro [Jun]. Other notes at the end to avoid spoilers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ichiro-nii? Nii-san?” The door to the house’s biggest bedroom was opened only to reveal the same dusty corners that should really have been cleaned out ages ago, if only their oldest could just tear himself away from his latest hobby - short comic skits he was so sure would bring a smile to Michi-obachan, the old lady living three doors down from them. She’d been somewhat despondent since her youngest grandson had begun to cut back on his weekly visits, and Ichiro-nii was convinced he’d be able to lift her spirits. He was probably right since the old lady had a soft spot for him for as long as Shiro could remember, but that still didn’t change the fact that Ichiro was still nowhere in the vicinity. Room after room was searched, yet all yielded the same outcome.
Despite Shiro’s efforts since the completion of his latest game development project to look for the sibling he’d most associate with a gentle-eyed baby sloth, it seemed that Ichiro-nii wasn’t anywhere nearby. Of course, one could probably consider it karma. He was the one who decided to lock himself away from his brothers for the stretch of time for him to complete what was arguably one of the most challenging - albeit satisfying once completed - projects that his company had entrusted him with.
Thankfully, the others were used to his bouts of self-imposed ‘exile’, and had given him space to overcome his work demons. Still, he couldn’t help but be grateful when that meant that Saburo-nii had made sure that the family kitchen cupboards were readily stocked with his favourite instant cup ramen. Which was why Shiro couldn’t help the fond smile that crossed his face when the door he’d opened (while still not revealing his quarry) showed his third-in-line brother back up hastily from the mini-refrigerator door that he’s slammed shut upon Shiro’s entry.
“Saburo-nii,” Shiro tried not to let the grin on his face crack too widely at the nervous dart of his older brother’s eyes to the recently closed appliance, “You should know better than to put another of your experimental concoctions into Goro’s appliances. Don’t think he’d be thrilled that you’d put in something that would leave a strange smell on his aesthetics maintenance products, you know?”
“Y- Yeah… No, no. I wasn’t putting anything weird inside.” Saburo-nii’s guilt was practically written all over his face. Shiro knew how enthusiastic the patissier-in-training was when it came to creating fusion desserts that pushed the envelope… and the patience of the Maiga household, especially that of their youngest male.
At Shiro’s continued cocked eyebrow, Saburo cleared his throat with a stutter before throwing Shiro an innocuous look. “You came to look for Goro-chan?”
“Ichiro-nii actually. He’s not in his room or anywhere I can figure in the house. I don’t hear him next door bugging Michi-bachan to listen to his latest routine either. Beginning to run out of ideas where he might be.”
Saburo seemed to brighten up. Coming closer to Shiro, he happily chirped, “Think he was going over some schedule for-... with Jiro-nii… about Goro-chan.”
Preoccupied as he was in considering where that meant he might locate the older pair of the family, it did not dawn upon Shiro that he’d been led back in the direction of the Maiga living room. Only when he turned around to see if he could get more ideas from Saburo on the duo’s whereabouts did Shiro realize he’d been left alone, minus one dessert-loving sibling.
Scratching absentmindedly at his chin, he pondered how he seemed to be left with more questions than answers. However, all he wanted right now was to look for his sleepy-but-adorably-puppy-dog-eyed oldest brother. He’d missed his extremely huggable source of comfort during the close-to-six months when developing the extensive programming code by himself and with team members at other times. It was especially so when work took its toll on his brain, practically dissolving it into a semi-pool of incoherence and all he had seen was the cursor on the screen blinking mockingly back at him.
But it was over and done with now. The completed programme had been passed over to his other members for final checks, and all he wanted was to find Ichiro. Pulling the sliding door open, Shiro looked out briefly into the courtyard where the autumn leaves were lightly coated with a thin layer of snow. The weather had been uncharacteristically cold for November, and Shiro chided himself for not putting on more layers. Yet, looking at the still-visible yellow and red maples in the backyard, he was sure it was just childhood nostalgia he felt to have missed out on the earlier sakura hanami season where the five brothers used to gather without fail when they were younger and more innocent; pragmatic adult concerns had to come first afterall and Shiro tried to ignore the faint pangs as he exited the main house to head over to the work room.
It really was just a slightly hut-like enclosure that the boys had constructed beside the main house when Goro and himself had turned into high-schoolers. With a household of five growing boys (or young men, as Jiro-nii would insist), space was admittedly a commodity in high demand. Over the years, it had of course grown a little more of its own clutter as they all grew older. This was especially so ever since Goro had turned eighteen two years ago and decided that he aspired to be part of the entertainment industry, and therefore needed a separate space in the house for him to “hone his craft”.
Shiro still recalled how while it was unsurprising (to him at least) that the youngest Maiga had chosen to go into the entertainment industry, it had raised several eyebrows in the family when Goro had declared with much enthusiasm that he wanted to be a comedian. Yet, busy as he might have been in trying to advance his aspirations to be a comedian, Shiro never doubted that Goro regarded his older-by-a-minute brother as first priority over most things (even if Jiro-nii probably took personal issue with that view). Shiro’s steps grew increasingly lighter as a smile grew on his lips: if he could just find Goro, he’d have his wingman to look for his still-elusive oldest brother.
Yet, when he’d popped his head into the mirror-walled room that Goro used as his studio, it was the shuffling of what sounded like cardboard boxes and familiar heavy grunts in the farthest corner of the room that pulled his attention. Moving deeper into the room brought to light another sibling that he decided would do just as well.
“Jiro-nii-san!” Shiro’s glee must have caught the older man by surprise as he nearly dropped the weights he’d been hefting. “I thought you’d still be discussing Goro’s schedule with Ichiro. Thought Goro-chan would be in here, but guess finding one is as good as the other,” he couldn’t help but beam.
The quick catch to Jiro-nii’s breath was probably due to the exertion he’d put himself through and Shiro having caught him midway through a rare workout session when Goro wasn’t around, but Shiro couldn’t help but sometimes wonder how different things might have been. Like how Jiro-nii and Goro would have been around each other in a world where the five weren’t brothers.
Knowing that he was silly to think about such things, Shiro still had to admit that he sometimes envied the relationship that the two shared despite their age gap of two years. Their second-oldest brother had taken it upon himself to be Goro’s champion when they’d been in school and even now that they’d become adults. When Goro had been struggling in his studies, Jiro-nii had taken on the mantle of being their kid brother’s tutor. It had been a mantle that Jiro-nii hadn’t shed when he decided to take on the job of being Goro’s manager upon Goro’s announcement of making his way in the entertainment circles.
“Schedule? Goro’s? I…’ve tied that up about half hour ago,” The initial surprise that coloured Jiro-nii’s voice might have been mistaken but Shiro’s gut niggled at him that his older brother suddenly seemed intent on not meeting his gaze.
“Sooo… any idea where Nii-chan is?” And right there. Shiro knew without a doubt that Jiro was fully aware of Ichiro’s location when he spotted the tell-tale twitch of the man whose back was still facing him. Shiro moved to place himself in the direct line of sight of his older sibling who was concentrating very deliberately on lifting the weight he’d balanced on both his shoulders as he faced the mirror.
“Ji. Ro. Nii~” the second youngest purposely dragged out the last on a raised pitch, knowing full well how it would grate on the nerves of the man who could barely tolerate highstrung female celebrities in his daily activities as Goro’s caretaker. It was hardly a second later when he managed to press his lips together to suppress the laughter threatening to burst as a pained expression crossed Jiro’s face, complete with puffed cheeks and gradually bulging eyeballs.
The weights that were unceremoniously plonked on the ground were lucky not to have dug their graves where they dropped, even as Jiro-nii’s held breath was explosively expelled. Stumbling forward to catch his balance on the mirror in front of him, he threw a narrowed look at Shiro who smiled charmingly like a cherubic angel.
“Shi-chan,” and no, Shiro did not feel the guilt of having put the whine in his older brother’s voice, “I’m sure Ichiro-nii will be back soon.” The hint that Shiro could surely patiently wait for Ichiro’s return was left unsaid.
A hint, Shiro decided, he would chose to ignore if it was not going to be said outrightly. It was going to serve Jiro-nii-chan right that he really should just have saved himself when Shiro had given him the chance to do so.
Sitting back on a nearby stool to look directly into the eyes of Jiro-nii’s reflection, he delivered a straight-faced “Huh. Guess I’ll just have to wait to ask him something I heard from Misaki-chan about Goro.” Misaki-chan was Michi-bachan’s other 19-year-old grand-daughter who the entire Maiga clan knew had a crush on Goro ever since she’d outgrown her nappies. Not only was she sweet on Goro, but she had also gained early fame as a print model for teenage magazines when she’d turned 15. That she had a firm foothold in the very industry that Goro was aiming for was something that Shiro was banking on to catch Jiro’s attention.
Indeed, the mirrored eyes that had had been playing a cat-and-mouse game with his could not establish contact any faster. Shiro had to hold back the desire to flinch at the almost-panic flitting through his older brother’s countenance. It really tickled him no end that Jiro swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker everytime it was anything to do with their youngest. Still, it took a beat of silence before Jiro-nii would say anything.
“Shir-”
The suddenly audible sounds of a conversation involving two familiar, much-sought tones and sandy gravel rolling underfoot outside their makeshift hut-cum-studio effectively drew Shiro’s attention away from his sibling who still had a white-knuckled grip on the weight in his hands.
Bounding happily to his feet from the stool, Shiro made for the exit. “Ichiro-nii’s back!”
“Shiro! Come back here! You said-”
“See you later Jiro-nii!”
A clatter and muffled curses followed before Jiro practically hollered at him. “Shi-chan! You ca-” Shiro would have felt at least a twinge of conscience at closing the door on Jiro-nii (and his bruised ego), but it was really Jiro-nii’s fault that he was always wound so tight when it came to his professional charge.
The bright ray of sunshine that he felt going through him at finally seeing who he had been looking for, however, dimmed somewhat as he rounded the corner to see Goro’s head cheerfully tucked within the loop of Ichiro’s right arm, the older man rubbing his victim’s hair almost ruthlessly. Only the two were clapping each other on the back and laughing too hard for their youngest to be bullied in his ab.so.lute.ly least favourite way of being held down.
“Nii-chan!” Goro’s half-push out of Ichiro’s grip had the latter stumbling into Jiro who had finally made his way out to where the three had been standing. As the older two siblings sorted themselves apart laughingly, Goro approached Shiro who couldn’t help feeling a little less chivalrous towards his younger brother.
“Where did you come from?” Shiro wasn’t sure if he’d managed to tamp down the almost curt tone in the question.
“Ichiro-nii brought me out to celebrate!” At Shiro’s questioning gaze, Goro continued. “I’d just passed an audition that I was really tense about, so…” The grin on his face was so brilliant that Shiro felt a little bad for his own negativity. He knew how Goro always put in his best, even if he was turned down more often than not. That he’d gone through his audition really should have been something to celebrate, though…
He turned to Goro coolly. “So Ichiro-nii celebrated with you?” Goro nodded cheerily. “Not Jiro-nii?”
“Jiro-nii was with me at the auditions, silly,” Goro replied, but Shiro couldn’t stop the voice in his head that said all was not as it seemed… even if he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. At Shiro’s continued pondering, Goro pulled his older brother by the arm to join the pair who had been watching them with interest.
“Ichiro-nii,” Goro pipped up. “Tell Shiro-chi what you told me! He’s out of the room, so he must have finished his project!”
Saburo’s head suddenly appeared as the door to the genkan of the main house opened a narrow crack, startling them all a little. “I thought I heard voices out here. What are you guys doing, gathered out here in the cold? Come inside!”
Shiro had to admit the heat of the house was indeed a blessing as they went indoors, but the fuzzy warmth soon drained away as Ichiro and Goro shared their plans.
“Eh? You want us to go to Nagoya for a weekend family trip to celebrate?” Shiro’s voice was coloured with disbelief. “What’s wrong with just celebrating in Tokyo?” Shiro was loath to admit that he’d happily not move from his room - much less the prefecture! - now that he’d finally earned a couple weeks of well-deserved break from work.
“Well, it makes sense seeing Goro has to be based there for a couple of weeks after clearing that audition. Us going there will be a good chance for a break before Goro and I start work. The rest of you have nothing on that weekend right?” Jiro looked around to see Goro fidgeting in his excited nervousness, Saburo’s nodding head and Ichiro’s eyes who had turned to Shiro.
“Unless anyone has other standing commitments?” The calm behind Ichiro’s question suggested no blame would be laid even if an opposition was voiced.
Shiro appreciated Ichiro giving him an out, but even he had to admit that he missed spending time with his brothers. What with having practically barricaded himself from them in the past half year. With a half-hearted silent sigh to himself, he shook his head to Ichiro’s question.
Maybe if he’d been paying more attention to the other four instead of trying to sort out how he felt about the coming trip, he would have seen the secret smiles exchanged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Nozomi Shinkansen ride to Nagoya would take them under two hours, thankfully quite easily passed with breads, pastries and bentos that Ichiro, Saburo (in charge of the former two) and Jiro (the latter) had prepared for the trip. When questioned earlier why they didn’t just buy the ready-to-eat bentos from the station, Jiro had narrowed his eyes to mere slits and been prepared to set off on a diatribe on the irreplaceable love and care that would be packed into the homemade ones. Luckily, Goro sidestepped the landmine Shiro had unknowingly set off and pulled his older brother into their rooms to pack entertainment options for the 100-minute journey.
With bellies filled and appetites satiated for the past hour, Saburo and Jiro sat opposite him dozing and reading respectively. Across the aisle, Shiro looked a little longingly to where Goro was again occupying Ichiro’s attention, both deep in discussion as they sat side by side.
“You’re really quite obvious you know?”
Shiro’s eyes quickly skated away from the pair to see the amusement-filled eyes in front of him. “You’re one to talk when you haven’t turned a single page since after we’d eaten,” Shiro retorted as Jiro turned an interesting shade to match his red sweater.
With Jiro sufficiently distracted, Shiro pulled out his handphone and earphones to entertain himself for the remaining journey. Scrolling through the music playlists he had on hand, he shuffled deeper into his jacket and laid his head back. It was only when the announcement came for the stop at Nagoya, that he felt a hand gently ruffling through his hair.
“Shiro. We’re here.” Pushing his shoulders backwards to iron out the kinks from his nap, Shiro couldn’t help the contented smile he threw at the human-arm pillow he now found himself curled around. And it was entirely out of appreciation for a soft surface to sleep on, and not to have to contend with a crick in his neck that he felt his face suffuse with warmth to see Ichiro smile gently down at him.
“Nii-san, thought you were sitting with Goro?” Shiro took a few moments to continue lounging against his oldest brother’s arm, unwilling to let go of his prize.
“Goro kept getting distracted by your constantly nodding head.” Even as he spoke, Shiro was almost certain he heard a stifled laugh somewhere behind Ichiro that took the form of the youngest Maiga male.
“Come on lazybones. Upsie-daisy,” Goro tugged insistently on Shiro’s hand, willing his still awakening brother out of his seat and into the aisle. “We don’t have much time left to the weekend. We’ve still got a long drive ahead of us to get to lunch.”
Piling into the station wagon that Jiro had procured once they’d gotten to the station, Shiro found he couldn’t complain much about the momentary disruption to his nap. Not when he found himself cushioned on either side by Goro and Ichiro. Even as Jiro fussed and reminded everyone to put on their seatbelts from the passenger seat, Shiro was content to let Goro mother him into the middle of the back seat. It wasn’t too long before sea of unconsciousness washed over him again, the gently rocking motion of the vehicle lulling him further into rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the absence of movement and a soft vibration that echoed its effect on him that eventually brought Shiro out of slumber. That and the slight chill that had somehow seeped into the car through the slightly wound down window. He looked out the window to see that the sun was already beginning its descent to the horizon. Groggily, he was trying to figure out his surroundings and the location of his missing brethren. Sitting up, he reached into his pockets for the source of the vibration. Still musing at the handphone in his hand through one open eye, he cleared his throat before picking up the line.
“Jiro-nii? Where are you guys? Wait a minute: where is this?” Shiro couldn’t help the note of uncertainty creeping into his voice as he stepped out of the station wagon, looking around him to see nothing familiar at all. All he saw was that he was alone in a carpark or bus bay of sorts that was located just off the main road. And even the main road wasn’t a very wide one, with close to no traffic passing by at all. The road turned out of sight towards his right, climbing gently along a slope with a narrow walking path beside it.
“Shi-chan. Over here.” Shiro breathed a nervous sigh of relief to hear his second brother’s voice over the line as his eyes spotted said person appear round the elevated turn of the road, his phone still held up to his ear as he smilingly approached Shiro.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Close by. We needed a little time to set things up before coming to get you. Thought I’d get back here before you woke though.” Even from a distance away, Shiro could see Jiro rub the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Huh?” Confusion coloured Shiro’s voice as he tried to figure out what Jiro meant. “Set up? Set up what?”
Jiro only smiled wider as his other hand reached behind him for something. “Shi-chan, you trust me right?”
Shiro narrowed his eyes but held his ground as Jiro came closer. “Is this your way of getting back at me for teasing about Goro?”
Jiro barked out a laugh but did not stop in his steps. “As if that would really have gotten a rise out of me.” Coming to a stop in front of Shiro, Jiro retorted mockingly at Shiro’s raised eyebrows. “Well, not really,” he admitted with a slight colouring in his cheeks before he suddenly seemed to realize something. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“No I’m not.” Shiro answered a little too quickly as he kept his eyes trained on the blindfold that had appeared in Jiro’s hand. As a flash of hesitation appeared in his brother’s eyes, Shiro drew in a deep breath. “Come on then,” he said resignedly.
Guided along by Jiro’s hands on his shoulders from behind, Shiro had to admit that his doubts ebbed quickly away. This was his flesh and blood afterall. So it was that he allowed himself to be led forward, his senses more tuned in to the crunch of pebbles underfoot that gradually gave way to softer ground and what could only be the sound of dried leaves as they made their way to a quieter area that lacked the sounds of any nearby traffic at all. After about five to ten minutes of walking, they came to stop and Shiro could sense a change to the nature of the atmosphere that made him feel calmer and more focused. Then came the feeling of awe that had Shiro’s jaw dropping as the blindfold was dropped, the sight of whites and reds coming into view.
Shiro’s confused gaze turned to one of amazement as he scanned across the sight of white sakura flowers in front of him sloping down the hill from where he was standing. The white-laden trees were interspersed among maple trees in red, orange and yellow hues, creating a kaleidoscope of spring and autumn colours. Shiro had always thought the sight of the white flowers during spring gave off a sense of purity and the sign of a fresh start. Yet standing here, he couldn’t help but feel touched to see the sight before him.
“A sight to behold huh?” Saburo’s voice broke into his reverie as he replaced Jiro and stepped up beside Shiro, stretching his arms out wide as he took in the scent of the sakura flowers in bloom. “As should be this,” he said after a few seconds of quiet as he wrapped an arm around Shiro, turning him to face behind the pair of them where the other three Maiga lads were seated on a picnic blanket on flatter open ground amongst the spring-cum-autumn setting. Around them were various containers and carriers of food already spread out for what he supposed was meant as a late picnic lunch. Several thermos flasks bearing hot beverages or soup were also being passed around, even as two space heaters were present to provide more warmth in the frigid temperatures.
“You guys… What…” Shiro found himself falling silent; the next word out of his mouth would probably be accompanied by tears, something his brothers were unlikely to let him live down.
“Shikizakura: sakura flowers that bloom twice a year. Apparently, they’re an attraction that can be found in Nagoya, Obara. I found this out when I got the job in Nagoya,” Goro started excitedly.
“Goro, give your brother a moment to gather his wits. Think he’s still in shock over our ‘abandonment’,” Jiro chided gently, forcing some onigiri into Goro’s hands to distract him from further explanation.
“But… how- did…” It had barely sunk into Shiro that he’d really, really missed the flower-viewing this year in the midst of the hectic pace of work deadlines; even more so, he’d missed the times he’d spent with his brothers. Yet, in light of what his family had prepared, he was guessing that he hadn’t been the only one.
“Come on. Let’s eat,” Saburo laughingly stated without loosening his grip around Shiro’s shoulders.
Shiro let himself be settled down on the ground as his brothers passed around food and drinks. Taking a bite out of the bento that had clearly been the effort of one mother-hen brother, Shiro looked on fondly as Jiro poured hot yuzu into five cups to pass around. Saburo was entertaining Goro with another pastry-related escapade, judging by the sporadic spurts of laughter emitted by their youngest. Ichiro was looking on the scene with a calm smile, and it wasn’t altogether unexpected when their eyes met. Even without words, Shiro was pretty sure that his thanks were conveyed when Ichiro nodded with a slight widening of his smile.
As the winds got a little more brisk with the cloudy day overhead, Goro moved the portable heaters a little closer so that the warmth was evenly spread among the five brothers. The vantage point of their little picnic spot afforded them a clear view of the star-shaped sakura with the mostly red maple leaves standing out brilliantly in contrast, but Shiro couldn’t help a small laugh escaping his lips as a thought occurred to him.
“You guys just had to go to the trouble of planning a flower viewing event at the end of the year when this year’s been so cold?” The question caused four pairs of eyes to turn to him. “Why not just wait for the next hanami season?”
“Mah…” Saburo started with a nervous laugh. “With everyone running on different schedules, I guess this was the first time this year that we all could come together?”
“And besides, it’s your birthday celebration… even if it’s months late,” Goro chipped in.
“My birthday?” Shiro exclaimed with some surprise. “But that was in June, and we celebrated-”
“No,” Ichiro stated affirmatively. “No, we didn’t celebrate it. Not the usual way.” As the rest of his brothers felt silent, Shiro looked around at them.
It was true that they’d celebrated with a cake with a cake that Saburo had baked, but Shiro had been called away urgently in the middle of their celebrations regarding work on the project that he’d just started on a couple of weeks before at the time. His brothers hadn’t made too much fuss when he’d only returned the following morning, his boss having needed him as the primary planner to lay out the blueprint for how the project would pan out. At the time, he hadn’t thought Ichiro and the others had minded much. Yet, it now looked like Shiro hadn’t been very accurate in his assumption.
“Ne…” Saburo said as he reached for a box that had been set aside separately from the rest of the food. “It going to be Ichiro-nii’s birthday soon. And even though he was the one who wanted to celebrate the occasion as Shi-chan’s belated birthday, we decided…” As he trailed off in his explanation, he opened the box with Goro’s help to place a two-tiered cake in the middle of their picnic blanket, the space quickly cleared by Jiro. The details on the cake showed the painstaking effort that had obviously been put into it, and it was only obvious to Shiro now why Saburo had been so tired that he’d practically fallen asleep the moment they’d boarded the shinkansen; that distinction had usually been reserved for himself.
“That it would be fair to celebrate in traditional Maiga fashion: all for one, and one for all,” Jiro ended resolutely, even as Goro came around to pat Saburo on the back, as if in praise of the masterpiece he’d created. Looking at the oldest of the family, Shiro had the impression that Ichiro hadn’t been informed of the change in plans. Because as much as Shiro had been surprised this day, it probably didn’t match the crack that appeared in Ichiro’s usually calm demeanour as he looked upon the scene his younger brothers presented. Smiling at Ichiro, Shiro couldn’t hide the laugh that bubbled up inside him. Moving over to stand beside Ichiro, Shiro threw an arm over his still-dumbstruck brother.
“So I guess this means this celebration is for us both then?”
Ichiro may just have tried to mask how touched he felt, but Shiro still pulled him in closer for a sideways hug.
“I guess I got my wish then,” Shiro murmured to himself.
Ichiro threw him a curious glance, “You said something?”
Shiro’s smile only grew wider as he pulled Ichiro over to join the other three to blow out birthday candles. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Shiro realized that he didn’t just get what he wished for; he got more than that. And it was time for him to appreciate that: three other brothers (and the one oldest one) who cared for him even if he sometimes forgot that they would support him in their understated ways.
Afterall, that’s what love’s all about right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s notes: Obara Village and Shikizakura really do exist; I just visited it at the start of the month on my Japan vacation. This fic was partly inspired by the challenge from carrotfreak after a lost bet, and also by the discovery of my first ever sakura at the Obara Fureai Park (which is where these pictures come from)! Never thought I'd get to see sakura, but thanks to this out-of-season breed of sakura, I can say I've seen my first sakura, hehehe. The picnic scene is based loosely on the geography of the land, though not exactly so, as there's an actual short climb involved before getting to the picnic spot. You can see some pics below...
Some pictures for reference:
The empty plot is where I imagined the picnic could have been situated, though it isn’t actually that flat or big a piece of land in reality.
Just some other pictures of the shikizakura that I wanted to share.
Rating: G
Word Count: 4,961 words
Genre: Alternate Universe (Maiga universe)
Disclaimer: Purely a figment of my imagination; the fic, that is. Not them, of course. :)
Summary: Shiro-kun was finally liberated from his project, and all he wanted was one thing.
A/N: A promise for fic for carrotfreak that is WWWAAAYYYY overdue. Here’s your beloved Maiga Arashi-as-brothers fic. Sorry the long wait dearie. About to start, but from oldest to youngest: Ichiro [Satoshi], Jiro [Sho], Saburo [Masaki], Shiro [Kazu] and last but not least, Goro [Jun]. Other notes at the end to avoid spoilers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Ichiro-nii? Nii-san?” The door to the house’s biggest bedroom was opened only to reveal the same dusty corners that should really have been cleaned out ages ago, if only their oldest could just tear himself away from his latest hobby - short comic skits he was so sure would bring a smile to Michi-obachan, the old lady living three doors down from them. She’d been somewhat despondent since her youngest grandson had begun to cut back on his weekly visits, and Ichiro-nii was convinced he’d be able to lift her spirits. He was probably right since the old lady had a soft spot for him for as long as Shiro could remember, but that still didn’t change the fact that Ichiro was still nowhere in the vicinity. Room after room was searched, yet all yielded the same outcome.
Despite Shiro’s efforts since the completion of his latest game development project to look for the sibling he’d most associate with a gentle-eyed baby sloth, it seemed that Ichiro-nii wasn’t anywhere nearby. Of course, one could probably consider it karma. He was the one who decided to lock himself away from his brothers for the stretch of time for him to complete what was arguably one of the most challenging - albeit satisfying once completed - projects that his company had entrusted him with.
Thankfully, the others were used to his bouts of self-imposed ‘exile’, and had given him space to overcome his work demons. Still, he couldn’t help but be grateful when that meant that Saburo-nii had made sure that the family kitchen cupboards were readily stocked with his favourite instant cup ramen. Which was why Shiro couldn’t help the fond smile that crossed his face when the door he’d opened (while still not revealing his quarry) showed his third-in-line brother back up hastily from the mini-refrigerator door that he’s slammed shut upon Shiro’s entry.
“Saburo-nii,” Shiro tried not to let the grin on his face crack too widely at the nervous dart of his older brother’s eyes to the recently closed appliance, “You should know better than to put another of your experimental concoctions into Goro’s appliances. Don’t think he’d be thrilled that you’d put in something that would leave a strange smell on his aesthetics maintenance products, you know?”
“Y- Yeah… No, no. I wasn’t putting anything weird inside.” Saburo-nii’s guilt was practically written all over his face. Shiro knew how enthusiastic the patissier-in-training was when it came to creating fusion desserts that pushed the envelope… and the patience of the Maiga household, especially that of their youngest male.
At Shiro’s continued cocked eyebrow, Saburo cleared his throat with a stutter before throwing Shiro an innocuous look. “You came to look for Goro-chan?”
“Ichiro-nii actually. He’s not in his room or anywhere I can figure in the house. I don’t hear him next door bugging Michi-bachan to listen to his latest routine either. Beginning to run out of ideas where he might be.”
Saburo seemed to brighten up. Coming closer to Shiro, he happily chirped, “Think he was going over some schedule for-... with Jiro-nii… about Goro-chan.”
Preoccupied as he was in considering where that meant he might locate the older pair of the family, it did not dawn upon Shiro that he’d been led back in the direction of the Maiga living room. Only when he turned around to see if he could get more ideas from Saburo on the duo’s whereabouts did Shiro realize he’d been left alone, minus one dessert-loving sibling.
Scratching absentmindedly at his chin, he pondered how he seemed to be left with more questions than answers. However, all he wanted right now was to look for his sleepy-but-adorably-puppy-dog-eyed oldest brother. He’d missed his extremely huggable source of comfort during the close-to-six months when developing the extensive programming code by himself and with team members at other times. It was especially so when work took its toll on his brain, practically dissolving it into a semi-pool of incoherence and all he had seen was the cursor on the screen blinking mockingly back at him.
But it was over and done with now. The completed programme had been passed over to his other members for final checks, and all he wanted was to find Ichiro. Pulling the sliding door open, Shiro looked out briefly into the courtyard where the autumn leaves were lightly coated with a thin layer of snow. The weather had been uncharacteristically cold for November, and Shiro chided himself for not putting on more layers. Yet, looking at the still-visible yellow and red maples in the backyard, he was sure it was just childhood nostalgia he felt to have missed out on the earlier sakura hanami season where the five brothers used to gather without fail when they were younger and more innocent; pragmatic adult concerns had to come first afterall and Shiro tried to ignore the faint pangs as he exited the main house to head over to the work room.
It really was just a slightly hut-like enclosure that the boys had constructed beside the main house when Goro and himself had turned into high-schoolers. With a household of five growing boys (or young men, as Jiro-nii would insist), space was admittedly a commodity in high demand. Over the years, it had of course grown a little more of its own clutter as they all grew older. This was especially so ever since Goro had turned eighteen two years ago and decided that he aspired to be part of the entertainment industry, and therefore needed a separate space in the house for him to “hone his craft”.
Shiro still recalled how while it was unsurprising (to him at least) that the youngest Maiga had chosen to go into the entertainment industry, it had raised several eyebrows in the family when Goro had declared with much enthusiasm that he wanted to be a comedian. Yet, busy as he might have been in trying to advance his aspirations to be a comedian, Shiro never doubted that Goro regarded his older-by-a-minute brother as first priority over most things (even if Jiro-nii probably took personal issue with that view). Shiro’s steps grew increasingly lighter as a smile grew on his lips: if he could just find Goro, he’d have his wingman to look for his still-elusive oldest brother.
Yet, when he’d popped his head into the mirror-walled room that Goro used as his studio, it was the shuffling of what sounded like cardboard boxes and familiar heavy grunts in the farthest corner of the room that pulled his attention. Moving deeper into the room brought to light another sibling that he decided would do just as well.
“Jiro-nii-san!” Shiro’s glee must have caught the older man by surprise as he nearly dropped the weights he’d been hefting. “I thought you’d still be discussing Goro’s schedule with Ichiro. Thought Goro-chan would be in here, but guess finding one is as good as the other,” he couldn’t help but beam.
The quick catch to Jiro-nii’s breath was probably due to the exertion he’d put himself through and Shiro having caught him midway through a rare workout session when Goro wasn’t around, but Shiro couldn’t help but sometimes wonder how different things might have been. Like how Jiro-nii and Goro would have been around each other in a world where the five weren’t brothers.
Knowing that he was silly to think about such things, Shiro still had to admit that he sometimes envied the relationship that the two shared despite their age gap of two years. Their second-oldest brother had taken it upon himself to be Goro’s champion when they’d been in school and even now that they’d become adults. When Goro had been struggling in his studies, Jiro-nii had taken on the mantle of being their kid brother’s tutor. It had been a mantle that Jiro-nii hadn’t shed when he decided to take on the job of being Goro’s manager upon Goro’s announcement of making his way in the entertainment circles.
“Schedule? Goro’s? I…’ve tied that up about half hour ago,” The initial surprise that coloured Jiro-nii’s voice might have been mistaken but Shiro’s gut niggled at him that his older brother suddenly seemed intent on not meeting his gaze.
“Sooo… any idea where Nii-chan is?” And right there. Shiro knew without a doubt that Jiro was fully aware of Ichiro’s location when he spotted the tell-tale twitch of the man whose back was still facing him. Shiro moved to place himself in the direct line of sight of his older sibling who was concentrating very deliberately on lifting the weight he’d balanced on both his shoulders as he faced the mirror.
“Ji. Ro. Nii~” the second youngest purposely dragged out the last on a raised pitch, knowing full well how it would grate on the nerves of the man who could barely tolerate highstrung female celebrities in his daily activities as Goro’s caretaker. It was hardly a second later when he managed to press his lips together to suppress the laughter threatening to burst as a pained expression crossed Jiro’s face, complete with puffed cheeks and gradually bulging eyeballs.
The weights that were unceremoniously plonked on the ground were lucky not to have dug their graves where they dropped, even as Jiro-nii’s held breath was explosively expelled. Stumbling forward to catch his balance on the mirror in front of him, he threw a narrowed look at Shiro who smiled charmingly like a cherubic angel.
“Shi-chan,” and no, Shiro did not feel the guilt of having put the whine in his older brother’s voice, “I’m sure Ichiro-nii will be back soon.” The hint that Shiro could surely patiently wait for Ichiro’s return was left unsaid.
A hint, Shiro decided, he would chose to ignore if it was not going to be said outrightly. It was going to serve Jiro-nii-chan right that he really should just have saved himself when Shiro had given him the chance to do so.
Sitting back on a nearby stool to look directly into the eyes of Jiro-nii’s reflection, he delivered a straight-faced “Huh. Guess I’ll just have to wait to ask him something I heard from Misaki-chan about Goro.” Misaki-chan was Michi-bachan’s other 19-year-old grand-daughter who the entire Maiga clan knew had a crush on Goro ever since she’d outgrown her nappies. Not only was she sweet on Goro, but she had also gained early fame as a print model for teenage magazines when she’d turned 15. That she had a firm foothold in the very industry that Goro was aiming for was something that Shiro was banking on to catch Jiro’s attention.
Indeed, the mirrored eyes that had had been playing a cat-and-mouse game with his could not establish contact any faster. Shiro had to hold back the desire to flinch at the almost-panic flitting through his older brother’s countenance. It really tickled him no end that Jiro swallowed the bait hook, line and sinker everytime it was anything to do with their youngest. Still, it took a beat of silence before Jiro-nii would say anything.
“Shir-”
The suddenly audible sounds of a conversation involving two familiar, much-sought tones and sandy gravel rolling underfoot outside their makeshift hut-cum-studio effectively drew Shiro’s attention away from his sibling who still had a white-knuckled grip on the weight in his hands.
Bounding happily to his feet from the stool, Shiro made for the exit. “Ichiro-nii’s back!”
“Shiro! Come back here! You said-”
“See you later Jiro-nii!”
A clatter and muffled curses followed before Jiro practically hollered at him. “Shi-chan! You ca-” Shiro would have felt at least a twinge of conscience at closing the door on Jiro-nii (and his bruised ego), but it was really Jiro-nii’s fault that he was always wound so tight when it came to his professional charge.
The bright ray of sunshine that he felt going through him at finally seeing who he had been looking for, however, dimmed somewhat as he rounded the corner to see Goro’s head cheerfully tucked within the loop of Ichiro’s right arm, the older man rubbing his victim’s hair almost ruthlessly. Only the two were clapping each other on the back and laughing too hard for their youngest to be bullied in his ab.so.lute.ly least favourite way of being held down.
“Nii-chan!” Goro’s half-push out of Ichiro’s grip had the latter stumbling into Jiro who had finally made his way out to where the three had been standing. As the older two siblings sorted themselves apart laughingly, Goro approached Shiro who couldn’t help feeling a little less chivalrous towards his younger brother.
“Where did you come from?” Shiro wasn’t sure if he’d managed to tamp down the almost curt tone in the question.
“Ichiro-nii brought me out to celebrate!” At Shiro’s questioning gaze, Goro continued. “I’d just passed an audition that I was really tense about, so…” The grin on his face was so brilliant that Shiro felt a little bad for his own negativity. He knew how Goro always put in his best, even if he was turned down more often than not. That he’d gone through his audition really should have been something to celebrate, though…
He turned to Goro coolly. “So Ichiro-nii celebrated with you?” Goro nodded cheerily. “Not Jiro-nii?”
“Jiro-nii was with me at the auditions, silly,” Goro replied, but Shiro couldn’t stop the voice in his head that said all was not as it seemed… even if he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. At Shiro’s continued pondering, Goro pulled his older brother by the arm to join the pair who had been watching them with interest.
“Ichiro-nii,” Goro pipped up. “Tell Shiro-chi what you told me! He’s out of the room, so he must have finished his project!”
Saburo’s head suddenly appeared as the door to the genkan of the main house opened a narrow crack, startling them all a little. “I thought I heard voices out here. What are you guys doing, gathered out here in the cold? Come inside!”
Shiro had to admit the heat of the house was indeed a blessing as they went indoors, but the fuzzy warmth soon drained away as Ichiro and Goro shared their plans.
“Eh? You want us to go to Nagoya for a weekend family trip to celebrate?” Shiro’s voice was coloured with disbelief. “What’s wrong with just celebrating in Tokyo?” Shiro was loath to admit that he’d happily not move from his room - much less the prefecture! - now that he’d finally earned a couple weeks of well-deserved break from work.
“Well, it makes sense seeing Goro has to be based there for a couple of weeks after clearing that audition. Us going there will be a good chance for a break before Goro and I start work. The rest of you have nothing on that weekend right?” Jiro looked around to see Goro fidgeting in his excited nervousness, Saburo’s nodding head and Ichiro’s eyes who had turned to Shiro.
“Unless anyone has other standing commitments?” The calm behind Ichiro’s question suggested no blame would be laid even if an opposition was voiced.
Shiro appreciated Ichiro giving him an out, but even he had to admit that he missed spending time with his brothers. What with having practically barricaded himself from them in the past half year. With a half-hearted silent sigh to himself, he shook his head to Ichiro’s question.
Maybe if he’d been paying more attention to the other four instead of trying to sort out how he felt about the coming trip, he would have seen the secret smiles exchanged.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Nozomi Shinkansen ride to Nagoya would take them under two hours, thankfully quite easily passed with breads, pastries and bentos that Ichiro, Saburo (in charge of the former two) and Jiro (the latter) had prepared for the trip. When questioned earlier why they didn’t just buy the ready-to-eat bentos from the station, Jiro had narrowed his eyes to mere slits and been prepared to set off on a diatribe on the irreplaceable love and care that would be packed into the homemade ones. Luckily, Goro sidestepped the landmine Shiro had unknowingly set off and pulled his older brother into their rooms to pack entertainment options for the 100-minute journey.
With bellies filled and appetites satiated for the past hour, Saburo and Jiro sat opposite him dozing and reading respectively. Across the aisle, Shiro looked a little longingly to where Goro was again occupying Ichiro’s attention, both deep in discussion as they sat side by side.
“You’re really quite obvious you know?”
Shiro’s eyes quickly skated away from the pair to see the amusement-filled eyes in front of him. “You’re one to talk when you haven’t turned a single page since after we’d eaten,” Shiro retorted as Jiro turned an interesting shade to match his red sweater.
With Jiro sufficiently distracted, Shiro pulled out his handphone and earphones to entertain himself for the remaining journey. Scrolling through the music playlists he had on hand, he shuffled deeper into his jacket and laid his head back. It was only when the announcement came for the stop at Nagoya, that he felt a hand gently ruffling through his hair.
“Shiro. We’re here.” Pushing his shoulders backwards to iron out the kinks from his nap, Shiro couldn’t help the contented smile he threw at the human-arm pillow he now found himself curled around. And it was entirely out of appreciation for a soft surface to sleep on, and not to have to contend with a crick in his neck that he felt his face suffuse with warmth to see Ichiro smile gently down at him.
“Nii-san, thought you were sitting with Goro?” Shiro took a few moments to continue lounging against his oldest brother’s arm, unwilling to let go of his prize.
“Goro kept getting distracted by your constantly nodding head.” Even as he spoke, Shiro was almost certain he heard a stifled laugh somewhere behind Ichiro that took the form of the youngest Maiga male.
“Come on lazybones. Upsie-daisy,” Goro tugged insistently on Shiro’s hand, willing his still awakening brother out of his seat and into the aisle. “We don’t have much time left to the weekend. We’ve still got a long drive ahead of us to get to lunch.”
Piling into the station wagon that Jiro had procured once they’d gotten to the station, Shiro found he couldn’t complain much about the momentary disruption to his nap. Not when he found himself cushioned on either side by Goro and Ichiro. Even as Jiro fussed and reminded everyone to put on their seatbelts from the passenger seat, Shiro was content to let Goro mother him into the middle of the back seat. It wasn’t too long before sea of unconsciousness washed over him again, the gently rocking motion of the vehicle lulling him further into rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the absence of movement and a soft vibration that echoed its effect on him that eventually brought Shiro out of slumber. That and the slight chill that had somehow seeped into the car through the slightly wound down window. He looked out the window to see that the sun was already beginning its descent to the horizon. Groggily, he was trying to figure out his surroundings and the location of his missing brethren. Sitting up, he reached into his pockets for the source of the vibration. Still musing at the handphone in his hand through one open eye, he cleared his throat before picking up the line.
“Jiro-nii? Where are you guys? Wait a minute: where is this?” Shiro couldn’t help the note of uncertainty creeping into his voice as he stepped out of the station wagon, looking around him to see nothing familiar at all. All he saw was that he was alone in a carpark or bus bay of sorts that was located just off the main road. And even the main road wasn’t a very wide one, with close to no traffic passing by at all. The road turned out of sight towards his right, climbing gently along a slope with a narrow walking path beside it.
“Shi-chan. Over here.” Shiro breathed a nervous sigh of relief to hear his second brother’s voice over the line as his eyes spotted said person appear round the elevated turn of the road, his phone still held up to his ear as he smilingly approached Shiro.
“Where’s everyone?”
“Close by. We needed a little time to set things up before coming to get you. Thought I’d get back here before you woke though.” Even from a distance away, Shiro could see Jiro rub the back of his neck sheepishly.
“Huh?” Confusion coloured Shiro’s voice as he tried to figure out what Jiro meant. “Set up? Set up what?”
Jiro only smiled wider as his other hand reached behind him for something. “Shi-chan, you trust me right?”
Shiro narrowed his eyes but held his ground as Jiro came closer. “Is this your way of getting back at me for teasing about Goro?”
Jiro barked out a laugh but did not stop in his steps. “As if that would really have gotten a rise out of me.” Coming to a stop in front of Shiro, Jiro retorted mockingly at Shiro’s raised eyebrows. “Well, not really,” he admitted with a slight colouring in his cheeks before he suddenly seemed to realize something. “You’re trying to distract me.”
“No I’m not.” Shiro answered a little too quickly as he kept his eyes trained on the blindfold that had appeared in Jiro’s hand. As a flash of hesitation appeared in his brother’s eyes, Shiro drew in a deep breath. “Come on then,” he said resignedly.
Guided along by Jiro’s hands on his shoulders from behind, Shiro had to admit that his doubts ebbed quickly away. This was his flesh and blood afterall. So it was that he allowed himself to be led forward, his senses more tuned in to the crunch of pebbles underfoot that gradually gave way to softer ground and what could only be the sound of dried leaves as they made their way to a quieter area that lacked the sounds of any nearby traffic at all. After about five to ten minutes of walking, they came to stop and Shiro could sense a change to the nature of the atmosphere that made him feel calmer and more focused. Then came the feeling of awe that had Shiro’s jaw dropping as the blindfold was dropped, the sight of whites and reds coming into view.
Shiro’s confused gaze turned to one of amazement as he scanned across the sight of white sakura flowers in front of him sloping down the hill from where he was standing. The white-laden trees were interspersed among maple trees in red, orange and yellow hues, creating a kaleidoscope of spring and autumn colours. Shiro had always thought the sight of the white flowers during spring gave off a sense of purity and the sign of a fresh start. Yet standing here, he couldn’t help but feel touched to see the sight before him.
“A sight to behold huh?” Saburo’s voice broke into his reverie as he replaced Jiro and stepped up beside Shiro, stretching his arms out wide as he took in the scent of the sakura flowers in bloom. “As should be this,” he said after a few seconds of quiet as he wrapped an arm around Shiro, turning him to face behind the pair of them where the other three Maiga lads were seated on a picnic blanket on flatter open ground amongst the spring-cum-autumn setting. Around them were various containers and carriers of food already spread out for what he supposed was meant as a late picnic lunch. Several thermos flasks bearing hot beverages or soup were also being passed around, even as two space heaters were present to provide more warmth in the frigid temperatures.
“You guys… What…” Shiro found himself falling silent; the next word out of his mouth would probably be accompanied by tears, something his brothers were unlikely to let him live down.
“Shikizakura: sakura flowers that bloom twice a year. Apparently, they’re an attraction that can be found in Nagoya, Obara. I found this out when I got the job in Nagoya,” Goro started excitedly.
“Goro, give your brother a moment to gather his wits. Think he’s still in shock over our ‘abandonment’,” Jiro chided gently, forcing some onigiri into Goro’s hands to distract him from further explanation.
“But… how- did…” It had barely sunk into Shiro that he’d really, really missed the flower-viewing this year in the midst of the hectic pace of work deadlines; even more so, he’d missed the times he’d spent with his brothers. Yet, in light of what his family had prepared, he was guessing that he hadn’t been the only one.
“Come on. Let’s eat,” Saburo laughingly stated without loosening his grip around Shiro’s shoulders.
Shiro let himself be settled down on the ground as his brothers passed around food and drinks. Taking a bite out of the bento that had clearly been the effort of one mother-hen brother, Shiro looked on fondly as Jiro poured hot yuzu into five cups to pass around. Saburo was entertaining Goro with another pastry-related escapade, judging by the sporadic spurts of laughter emitted by their youngest. Ichiro was looking on the scene with a calm smile, and it wasn’t altogether unexpected when their eyes met. Even without words, Shiro was pretty sure that his thanks were conveyed when Ichiro nodded with a slight widening of his smile.
As the winds got a little more brisk with the cloudy day overhead, Goro moved the portable heaters a little closer so that the warmth was evenly spread among the five brothers. The vantage point of their little picnic spot afforded them a clear view of the star-shaped sakura with the mostly red maple leaves standing out brilliantly in contrast, but Shiro couldn’t help a small laugh escaping his lips as a thought occurred to him.
“You guys just had to go to the trouble of planning a flower viewing event at the end of the year when this year’s been so cold?” The question caused four pairs of eyes to turn to him. “Why not just wait for the next hanami season?”
“Mah…” Saburo started with a nervous laugh. “With everyone running on different schedules, I guess this was the first time this year that we all could come together?”
“And besides, it’s your birthday celebration… even if it’s months late,” Goro chipped in.
“My birthday?” Shiro exclaimed with some surprise. “But that was in June, and we celebrated-”
“No,” Ichiro stated affirmatively. “No, we didn’t celebrate it. Not the usual way.” As the rest of his brothers felt silent, Shiro looked around at them.
It was true that they’d celebrated with a cake with a cake that Saburo had baked, but Shiro had been called away urgently in the middle of their celebrations regarding work on the project that he’d just started on a couple of weeks before at the time. His brothers hadn’t made too much fuss when he’d only returned the following morning, his boss having needed him as the primary planner to lay out the blueprint for how the project would pan out. At the time, he hadn’t thought Ichiro and the others had minded much. Yet, it now looked like Shiro hadn’t been very accurate in his assumption.
“Ne…” Saburo said as he reached for a box that had been set aside separately from the rest of the food. “It going to be Ichiro-nii’s birthday soon. And even though he was the one who wanted to celebrate the occasion as Shi-chan’s belated birthday, we decided…” As he trailed off in his explanation, he opened the box with Goro’s help to place a two-tiered cake in the middle of their picnic blanket, the space quickly cleared by Jiro. The details on the cake showed the painstaking effort that had obviously been put into it, and it was only obvious to Shiro now why Saburo had been so tired that he’d practically fallen asleep the moment they’d boarded the shinkansen; that distinction had usually been reserved for himself.
“That it would be fair to celebrate in traditional Maiga fashion: all for one, and one for all,” Jiro ended resolutely, even as Goro came around to pat Saburo on the back, as if in praise of the masterpiece he’d created. Looking at the oldest of the family, Shiro had the impression that Ichiro hadn’t been informed of the change in plans. Because as much as Shiro had been surprised this day, it probably didn’t match the crack that appeared in Ichiro’s usually calm demeanour as he looked upon the scene his younger brothers presented. Smiling at Ichiro, Shiro couldn’t hide the laugh that bubbled up inside him. Moving over to stand beside Ichiro, Shiro threw an arm over his still-dumbstruck brother.
“So I guess this means this celebration is for us both then?”
Ichiro may just have tried to mask how touched he felt, but Shiro still pulled him in closer for a sideways hug.
“I guess I got my wish then,” Shiro murmured to himself.
Ichiro threw him a curious glance, “You said something?”
Shiro’s smile only grew wider as he pulled Ichiro over to join the other three to blow out birthday candles. “Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Shiro realized that he didn’t just get what he wished for; he got more than that. And it was time for him to appreciate that: three other brothers (and the one oldest one) who cared for him even if he sometimes forgot that they would support him in their understated ways.
Afterall, that’s what love’s all about right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s notes: Obara Village and Shikizakura really do exist; I just visited it at the start of the month on my Japan vacation. This fic was partly inspired by the challenge from carrotfreak after a lost bet, and also by the discovery of my first ever sakura at the Obara Fureai Park (which is where these pictures come from)! Never thought I'd get to see sakura, but thanks to this out-of-season breed of sakura, I can say I've seen my first sakura, hehehe. The picnic scene is based loosely on the geography of the land, though not exactly so, as there's an actual short climb involved before getting to the picnic spot. You can see some pics below...
Some pictures for reference:
The empty plot is where I imagined the picnic could have been situated, though it isn’t actually that flat or big a piece of land in reality.
Just some other pictures of the shikizakura that I wanted to share.