The key to your heart (Chapter 4)
Nino found himself sitting on a small bench close to the entry of the park this night. He had been nervous and uncomfortable since he thought he had seen that little elven boy again. But it couldn’t be. He was sure it was just the stress combined with the dreams he kept having about it all. It couldn’t be anything else. Still, he hadn’t been able to calm down or find some sleep, so before he had known it, he had found himself back here at the park where he had first met the other boy - now young man probably.
“I’m really pathetic,” he whispered slightly as he forced himself to stand up and leave. He had met this person once in his life, he other never had been entirely helpful and left him alone to go back to his abusive parents. And still, he couldn’t let him go and felt intrigued by him. He tried to tell himself that it was only because of his ability to heal. Still, deep down, Nino knew it was mostly down to Satoshi being the first person that was honestly nice to him without expecting anything back or mocking him in any way.
When he turned around, he cried out in surprise and jumped back when there just at the line of trees were the figure again. He stood still as the figure came closer, blinking in shock as he saw the sun-kissed skin of the man he had seen this morning. The other was wearing a white tunic with a dark blue cord around his waist and dark blue trousers. This time the man wore boots instead of being barefooted like the first time they had seen each other.
Ohno’s head cocked to the side as he came slowly closer, almost looking at him in wonder. “You could see me earlier?”
“Earlier? What do you mean? Ah! The hospital,” Nino realised before a frown appeared on his face. “Regardless of that. Why are you here? Fairyland didn’t want you anymore?” he asked in a slightly scoffing voice.
“I’m still the prince, so there isn’t much of choice,” Satoshi mumbled with a frown, asking himself if Kazunari did know something he didn’t.
Nino blinked before sighing a little. He realised that sarcastic remarks apparently were lost with the other. He took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders. “Why are you here?”
“I don’t know. I shouldn’t be here. This is not my world,” Ohno replied with a small sigh as he looked around. There was too much stone and metal for his taste, too little green. The air smelled stale, and the paths were manmade stone that hurt his feet. Still, he came here again and stayed, watching this little insignificant human being running around others, talking to them, comforting them, and helping them apparently without any prompting.
“You never came back.”
“That time was an accident. It was the day my mother died,” Ohno explained, still feeling hurt when he remembered his beloved mother and her too early death.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nino said softly with a small sigh. Ohno watched him for a second before a small smile appeared on his face.
“Thank you…”
They fell to silence again, staring at each other without knowing exactly what they should say to each other. Nino put a hand through his hair as he looked around in thought. He felt quite lost.
“Do you remember that night?” Ohno asked finally after the silence became almost thick enough to put a knife through it.
“Yes, I lied that night. I didn’t fall. I never fell,” Nino mumbled as he rubbed his hips, trying to ignore the slight pain in his back. He knew he shouldn’t work as a doctor or at a hospital. It wasn’t good for his posture, but he liked it there.
“I know you lied,” Ohno said with a sad glint in his eyes. “But I couldn’t force you to state the truth. I had no right, and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you, but what I did. And I probably shouldn’t have done even that.”
Nino shrugged. He didn’t care about the what-ifs. It could be that everything would have been brought more to the front earlier, it could also have been that he would have beaten to death when he got home or something like that. It all didn’t matter anymore since history wasn’t changeable.
“I never thanked you,” Nino said in the end.
Ohno chuckled but shook his head. Nino had thanked him already for this, but he wasn’t one to argue. Not here, not now, when he already felt so lost about all that was happening between them.
“Do you care for a cup of tea? It’s getting cold…” Nino said, finally.
Ohno frowned at the offer and bit his lip. He was getting thirsty and hungry. But he had no money for any exchanges. “I don’t have things to pay,” he said in the end. “I didn’t bring any things for trade, either.”
Nino chuckled slightly at those words. “So a poor prince of a fairytale land? It seems that I got the short end,” he teased lightly before holding out his hand for Ohno to grab it. “Oh, well… As a thank you, I will treat you,” he said when Ohno’s fingers closed around his. Nino pulled him along to a 24h coffee shop where he ordered tea for Ohno, coffee for himself, and something to eat when he heard Ohno’s stomach grumbling.
“Did you spend all day in that trees?” he asked with a small grin.
Ohno shrugged before he shook his head slightly. “Not all day,” he disagreed. “I was at your… Hospital?”
“It’s not mine I just work there,” Nino said with a laugh as he sat down across from him. He took his coffee in both hands to take a small sip from it, sighing deeply when the strong taste hit him. Now that was a good cup of coffee.
Ohno eyed his tea for a second (Nino didn’t trust him with caffeine who knew what it would do to him) before taking a tentative sip and then nodding slightly.
“It’s like herbal water,” he said with a happy hum before moving the thumb adorned by the big ring to his lips, mumbling something Nino didn’t understand and then moved the thumb across the bowl in a circle. When Ohno realised Nino was watching him, he blushed slightly. “It’s a prayer of thanks we do before we eat,” he explained.
Nino hummed with an understanding smile and took another sip. “Then you should eat,” he said.
Ohno grinned happily as he tugged in, almost moaning at the first bite. “It’s good!!” he realised and started eating faster, making Nino wonder how starved Ohno had been.
“Can you tell me about your world?” Nino asked curiously as he watched Ohno for a while. “Or about you, your family?”
Ohno hummed thoughtfully for a moment before he shrugged. “I think it’s nothing special. It’s just normal. We all have magical abilities. In some families, magic runs stronger than in others. Our land is filled with hills and mountains, and there are many trees and grass everywhere. We only use stone for our homes to make them safe from the weather but walk on the paths nature left us. We try not to destroy anything that nature gives us but live peacefully side by side with it.”
“But you eat meat and such things?”
“Yes,” Ohno said with a shrug. “But we never hunt for fun or more than is needed. And there are strict rules about it. But I don’t want to bore you. My family is one of the oldest, and somewhen in the past, a city was build and a clan formed. My family was the head of that clan. As the times moved forward, many smaller groups have decided to join our clan and abide by our clan’s rules making my ancestors their kings and queens. And it stuck. We decide most things in a council, but we have to make decisions considering our clan’s safety.”
“It sounds nice,” Nino hummed thoughtfully. “Are all people like you?”
“What do you mean like me?” Ohno was watching him with big eyes while licking his lips and the crumbs from his fingertips.
Nino shrugged as he watched Ohno for a while. Peaceful, he thought, Ohno was just so peaceful. “Are there wars?”
“There was once, long ago, another clan tried to take our over, and my great-great-great-grandfather banned them to another part of our world. They live there now. I don’t know what happened to them.”
Nino nodded in understanding and finished his coffee. “I see it sounds interesting. I really would like to see it once,” he said softly. Ohno smiled at those words and nodded.
“That would be nice…” he put the last bite in his mouth and sighed. “But for now, I shall return before my family starts worrying over me. Like I said, I shouldn’t be here. But… Would it be okay if I met you again?”
“Yes, I’d like that,” Nino decided after a few seconds of thought. He would like it very much. Being in Ohno’s presence was calming like a balm for his soul and heart.
“I will bring pictures of my home then. I dabble in my free time,” Ohno grinned as they stood and left the coffee shop. Nino walked back to the park to say goodbye to Ohno and then head home.
“Sounds good. Until later then… I’d like it if it wasn’t in ten years, though,” he said with a small grin.
Ohno chuckled before moving forward and pressing the tips of his middle finger and forefinger against Nino’s forehead, moving them down slowly. “Let’s not be strangers,” he whispered before stepping back and vanishing in thin air, leaving Nino alone in this world once again.
“I’m really pathetic,” he whispered slightly as he forced himself to stand up and leave. He had met this person once in his life, he other never had been entirely helpful and left him alone to go back to his abusive parents. And still, he couldn’t let him go and felt intrigued by him. He tried to tell himself that it was only because of his ability to heal. Still, deep down, Nino knew it was mostly down to Satoshi being the first person that was honestly nice to him without expecting anything back or mocking him in any way.
When he turned around, he cried out in surprise and jumped back when there just at the line of trees were the figure again. He stood still as the figure came closer, blinking in shock as he saw the sun-kissed skin of the man he had seen this morning. The other was wearing a white tunic with a dark blue cord around his waist and dark blue trousers. This time the man wore boots instead of being barefooted like the first time they had seen each other.
Ohno’s head cocked to the side as he came slowly closer, almost looking at him in wonder. “You could see me earlier?”
“Earlier? What do you mean? Ah! The hospital,” Nino realised before a frown appeared on his face. “Regardless of that. Why are you here? Fairyland didn’t want you anymore?” he asked in a slightly scoffing voice.
“I’m still the prince, so there isn’t much of choice,” Satoshi mumbled with a frown, asking himself if Kazunari did know something he didn’t.
Nino blinked before sighing a little. He realised that sarcastic remarks apparently were lost with the other. He took a deep breath before squaring his shoulders. “Why are you here?”
“I don’t know. I shouldn’t be here. This is not my world,” Ohno replied with a small sigh as he looked around. There was too much stone and metal for his taste, too little green. The air smelled stale, and the paths were manmade stone that hurt his feet. Still, he came here again and stayed, watching this little insignificant human being running around others, talking to them, comforting them, and helping them apparently without any prompting.
“You never came back.”
“That time was an accident. It was the day my mother died,” Ohno explained, still feeling hurt when he remembered his beloved mother and her too early death.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nino said softly with a small sigh. Ohno watched him for a second before a small smile appeared on his face.
“Thank you…”
They fell to silence again, staring at each other without knowing exactly what they should say to each other. Nino put a hand through his hair as he looked around in thought. He felt quite lost.
“Do you remember that night?” Ohno asked finally after the silence became almost thick enough to put a knife through it.
“Yes, I lied that night. I didn’t fall. I never fell,” Nino mumbled as he rubbed his hips, trying to ignore the slight pain in his back. He knew he shouldn’t work as a doctor or at a hospital. It wasn’t good for his posture, but he liked it there.
“I know you lied,” Ohno said with a sad glint in his eyes. “But I couldn’t force you to state the truth. I had no right, and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything for you, but what I did. And I probably shouldn’t have done even that.”
Nino shrugged. He didn’t care about the what-ifs. It could be that everything would have been brought more to the front earlier, it could also have been that he would have beaten to death when he got home or something like that. It all didn’t matter anymore since history wasn’t changeable.
“I never thanked you,” Nino said in the end.
Ohno chuckled but shook his head. Nino had thanked him already for this, but he wasn’t one to argue. Not here, not now, when he already felt so lost about all that was happening between them.
“Do you care for a cup of tea? It’s getting cold…” Nino said, finally.
Ohno frowned at the offer and bit his lip. He was getting thirsty and hungry. But he had no money for any exchanges. “I don’t have things to pay,” he said in the end. “I didn’t bring any things for trade, either.”
Nino chuckled slightly at those words. “So a poor prince of a fairytale land? It seems that I got the short end,” he teased lightly before holding out his hand for Ohno to grab it. “Oh, well… As a thank you, I will treat you,” he said when Ohno’s fingers closed around his. Nino pulled him along to a 24h coffee shop where he ordered tea for Ohno, coffee for himself, and something to eat when he heard Ohno’s stomach grumbling.
“Did you spend all day in that trees?” he asked with a small grin.
Ohno shrugged before he shook his head slightly. “Not all day,” he disagreed. “I was at your… Hospital?”
“It’s not mine I just work there,” Nino said with a laugh as he sat down across from him. He took his coffee in both hands to take a small sip from it, sighing deeply when the strong taste hit him. Now that was a good cup of coffee.
Ohno eyed his tea for a second (Nino didn’t trust him with caffeine who knew what it would do to him) before taking a tentative sip and then nodding slightly.
“It’s like herbal water,” he said with a happy hum before moving the thumb adorned by the big ring to his lips, mumbling something Nino didn’t understand and then moved the thumb across the bowl in a circle. When Ohno realised Nino was watching him, he blushed slightly. “It’s a prayer of thanks we do before we eat,” he explained.
Nino hummed with an understanding smile and took another sip. “Then you should eat,” he said.
Ohno grinned happily as he tugged in, almost moaning at the first bite. “It’s good!!” he realised and started eating faster, making Nino wonder how starved Ohno had been.
“Can you tell me about your world?” Nino asked curiously as he watched Ohno for a while. “Or about you, your family?”
Ohno hummed thoughtfully for a moment before he shrugged. “I think it’s nothing special. It’s just normal. We all have magical abilities. In some families, magic runs stronger than in others. Our land is filled with hills and mountains, and there are many trees and grass everywhere. We only use stone for our homes to make them safe from the weather but walk on the paths nature left us. We try not to destroy anything that nature gives us but live peacefully side by side with it.”
“But you eat meat and such things?”
“Yes,” Ohno said with a shrug. “But we never hunt for fun or more than is needed. And there are strict rules about it. But I don’t want to bore you. My family is one of the oldest, and somewhen in the past, a city was build and a clan formed. My family was the head of that clan. As the times moved forward, many smaller groups have decided to join our clan and abide by our clan’s rules making my ancestors their kings and queens. And it stuck. We decide most things in a council, but we have to make decisions considering our clan’s safety.”
“It sounds nice,” Nino hummed thoughtfully. “Are all people like you?”
“What do you mean like me?” Ohno was watching him with big eyes while licking his lips and the crumbs from his fingertips.
Nino shrugged as he watched Ohno for a while. Peaceful, he thought, Ohno was just so peaceful. “Are there wars?”
“There was once, long ago, another clan tried to take our over, and my great-great-great-grandfather banned them to another part of our world. They live there now. I don’t know what happened to them.”
Nino nodded in understanding and finished his coffee. “I see it sounds interesting. I really would like to see it once,” he said softly. Ohno smiled at those words and nodded.
“That would be nice…” he put the last bite in his mouth and sighed. “But for now, I shall return before my family starts worrying over me. Like I said, I shouldn’t be here. But… Would it be okay if I met you again?”
“Yes, I’d like that,” Nino decided after a few seconds of thought. He would like it very much. Being in Ohno’s presence was calming like a balm for his soul and heart.
“I will bring pictures of my home then. I dabble in my free time,” Ohno grinned as they stood and left the coffee shop. Nino walked back to the park to say goodbye to Ohno and then head home.
“Sounds good. Until later then… I’d like it if it wasn’t in ten years, though,” he said with a small grin.
Ohno chuckled before moving forward and pressing the tips of his middle finger and forefinger against Nino’s forehead, moving them down slowly. “Let’s not be strangers,” he whispered before stepping back and vanishing in thin air, leaving Nino alone in this world once again.