We'll meet in the stars (Chapter 13)
“Why did you want to go here?” Aiba asked as they stepped out of the ship. Ohno bit his lower lip as he followed him out, looking around. A very small smile appeared on his face as he saw the cherry trees in full bloom.
“It’s nice. I missed home,” Ohno explained. But then he laughed hollowly as he turned around, and took some steps backwards. “It’s my mother’s anniversary,” he said then. He shook his head and tilted his head.
“I thought it would be nice to visit her and to introduce you to her. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’m curious about how she is. Does she look a lot like you? My parents don’t look much like me,” Aiba hummed in thought. “But then again my children don’t either.”
“True. They all look very different from each other,” Ohno said with a sigh. “I really don’t understand how that all works?”
“What works? The pictures. You look different there as well. Like a whole different person.”
“We time-lords can regenerate. Didn’t I tell you?”
“I honestly can’t remember,” Ohno said with a blush high on his cheeks. “Don’t you ever die?”
“Oh, we will. We live just a lot longer than you. It gives me a headache to think about it. Tell me about your mother.”
“She’s a very nice woman. The best mother you could hope for. She used to stay up for me all night long when I just started out working. She would greet me with a mug of hot tea when I enter the house and talk to me a bit before we went to bed. It dwindled out as I got older. She’s always laughing and with a gentle smile on her face.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person.”
“Yup,” Ohno said with a grin. “I love her the best.”
Aiba chuckled softly at this words as he followed the other through the busy streets of Tokyo.
“Do you want lunch first?” he asked suddenly turning around to look at Aiba again.
“Won’t we get something at your mother’s place?”
A small frown appeared on Ohno’s face as he shook his head slowly. “Not possible. But I feel like a good curry. Come on here is my favourite place. You’ll love it,” he grinned.
Aiba shrugged but followed him up to the restaurant. Ohno ordered their food and then sat down, studying the walls. Aiba frowned as he stared at him, his chin resting on top of his hands.
“You are strange today,” Aiba said.
“Maybe,” Ohno said with a frown. “I’m thinking of what I am going to do in future. You are going back home, right?”
“Yes, very soon,” Aiba agreed.
“No more adventures?”
“At least for a few hundred years.” Aiba sat there with a very happy grin on his face at the thought of being with his family for a while.
“That means I need to figure something out, right? I won’t stay with you at your home.”
“You would be welcome though.”
“Too busy, sorry. I need to live my own life.”
Aiba hummed as he nodded. That was always the smartest thing to do after all. “You should enjoy your life and make the most out of it.”
Ohno hummed in agreement. “You’re right. I think I ran away for long enough then.”
“But you can still come with me for a little while longer. You wanted to meet your friend?”
“Yes, but it seems to be impossible. It has been almost a year, Aiba,” he whispered. “I have lost hope.”
Aiba frowned. “That is not good. One thing you should never do is losing hope,” he reprimanded him.
Ohno grinned sheepishly but nodded before he perked up as their food was finally coming. He thanked the waiter before digging in. “Okay, will keep that in mind.”
“If we go visit your mother, what should I bring?”
“Flowers will make her happy I believe. Something bright and colourful. It’s her favourites.”
“Then you need to bring me somewhere where I can buy those. Only the best.”
“Do you have money to pay for them?” he asked with a frown. “I don’t have much money on me and I didn’t earn a lot in the last few months.”
“I have. So don’t worry.”
Suddenly Aiba’s eyes widened and he groaned. “I never told you, right?”
“Told me what?”
“Uhm… Ah…” Aiba coughed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. Sho was so going to kill him if this was ever getting out.
“I will compensate you for the time you spent with me and the time you helped me out on cases are paid extra of course. For each life-threatening situation, there will be a bonus.”
Ohno’s mouth fell open in shock. He what? “What?”
“You will have money to start a comfortable life and think about what you want to do.”
“Awesome!” Ohno decided with a small chuckle. He shook his head as he still couldn’t believe anything of that, at the same time he felt relief settle in as that meant that he was at least not too worried from the very first moment back on Earth. That was something. They finished their food in silence and Ohno jumped to his feet to lead him to a flower shop where they both choose some flowers before leading him to the rim of the city. He sighed as he stared at the park-like place they were now and walked through the gate.
“Where are we?”
“At my mother’s place,” Ohno said as he took a bucket with water to be able to clean the stone later.
“The place your…” Aiba said slowly as the realisation came over him. He stumbled on his feet as he tried to fasten his step and walk beside of Ohno.
“This is why nothing held you back when you came with me?”
“Yes,” Ohno said as they arrived at his family’s grave. “She had a good life. At least that’s what people tend to tell me. It’s an awful saying, you know?”
“Yes, it’s not very calming,” Aiba agreed as he watched Ohno tend to the grave. He put the flowers down as Ohno was finished and they settled down in front of him.
“Yes,” Ohno agreed with a sigh. “It was hard to lose her, it was always too early, regardless of what people say. I know it could’ve been worse and I know that she isn’t suffering anymore. And that is comforting in a way. Still, sometimes I feel selfish and wish for her to be there.”
“What about your father?”
“He died before her. It was an accident,” he explained. “I still had my mom and I was never that close to him, to begin with.”
“And your mother?”
“Cancer. Cancer sucks,” Ohno said as he leant back on his hands. He looked at the sky, grinning at the sun shining down on him.
“True. Should I leave you alone for a bit?”
“Maybe, let me introduce you to her first. Then do whatever it is that must be rescued from here,” he said with a teasing voice.
“I’m just visiting an old friend.”
Ohno snorted. “Sure. Say my greetings.”
“I will,” Aiba grinned as he sat up straighter when the other started to introduce the time lord to his mother. Aiba greeted the woman, promising her to look after her son, before saying his goodbyes and promising Ohno to meet up later again.
Ohno stayed at his place for a while longer talking to his mother’s grave enjoying the calmness that always washed over him and gave him peace. It was a few hours later that he stood again, moving his stiff joints before leaving the graveyard again. As promised Aiba waited for him at the gate already, leaning against the fence. “You ready?”
“Yes, let’s go back,” Ohno agreed.
“You look better,” Aiba realised, seeing the small smile and grin on his face.
“Yes, I got back some hope,” Ohno said as they walked down the street. He slowed down as he came across the small coffee shop Nino used to work on. Aiba blinked as he slowed down as well, looking at him with confusion on his face.
Ohno stared at the shop with longing eyes, even if he knew that Nino was not inside. Not anymore. He sighed when Aiba poked his side softly. “Do you want coffee?”
“No the shop is way too full now,” Ohno said with a wry smile as he turned around. “Maybe another time. Let’s head back.”
“Okay, if you say so,” Aiba agreed with a small sad frown on his face as he put his arm around Ohno to lead him back to the Chipmunk.
“Come on you can decide on a time and day to go next,” he said as to cheer him up after today.
“I will let the Chipmunk decide.”
“If you let him see inside of you he might fulfil your heart’s wish.”
Ohno smiled softly. That would be nice.
“It’s nice. I missed home,” Ohno explained. But then he laughed hollowly as he turned around, and took some steps backwards. “It’s my mother’s anniversary,” he said then. He shook his head and tilted his head.
“I thought it would be nice to visit her and to introduce you to her. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’m curious about how she is. Does she look a lot like you? My parents don’t look much like me,” Aiba hummed in thought. “But then again my children don’t either.”
“True. They all look very different from each other,” Ohno said with a sigh. “I really don’t understand how that all works?”
“What works? The pictures. You look different there as well. Like a whole different person.”
“We time-lords can regenerate. Didn’t I tell you?”
“I honestly can’t remember,” Ohno said with a blush high on his cheeks. “Don’t you ever die?”
“Oh, we will. We live just a lot longer than you. It gives me a headache to think about it. Tell me about your mother.”
“She’s a very nice woman. The best mother you could hope for. She used to stay up for me all night long when I just started out working. She would greet me with a mug of hot tea when I enter the house and talk to me a bit before we went to bed. It dwindled out as I got older. She’s always laughing and with a gentle smile on her face.”
“She sounds like a wonderful person.”
“Yup,” Ohno said with a grin. “I love her the best.”
Aiba chuckled softly at this words as he followed the other through the busy streets of Tokyo.
“Do you want lunch first?” he asked suddenly turning around to look at Aiba again.
“Won’t we get something at your mother’s place?”
A small frown appeared on Ohno’s face as he shook his head slowly. “Not possible. But I feel like a good curry. Come on here is my favourite place. You’ll love it,” he grinned.
Aiba shrugged but followed him up to the restaurant. Ohno ordered their food and then sat down, studying the walls. Aiba frowned as he stared at him, his chin resting on top of his hands.
“You are strange today,” Aiba said.
“Maybe,” Ohno said with a frown. “I’m thinking of what I am going to do in future. You are going back home, right?”
“Yes, very soon,” Aiba agreed.
“No more adventures?”
“At least for a few hundred years.” Aiba sat there with a very happy grin on his face at the thought of being with his family for a while.
“That means I need to figure something out, right? I won’t stay with you at your home.”
“You would be welcome though.”
“Too busy, sorry. I need to live my own life.”
Aiba hummed as he nodded. That was always the smartest thing to do after all. “You should enjoy your life and make the most out of it.”
Ohno hummed in agreement. “You’re right. I think I ran away for long enough then.”
“But you can still come with me for a little while longer. You wanted to meet your friend?”
“Yes, but it seems to be impossible. It has been almost a year, Aiba,” he whispered. “I have lost hope.”
Aiba frowned. “That is not good. One thing you should never do is losing hope,” he reprimanded him.
Ohno grinned sheepishly but nodded before he perked up as their food was finally coming. He thanked the waiter before digging in. “Okay, will keep that in mind.”
“If we go visit your mother, what should I bring?”
“Flowers will make her happy I believe. Something bright and colourful. It’s her favourites.”
“Then you need to bring me somewhere where I can buy those. Only the best.”
“Do you have money to pay for them?” he asked with a frown. “I don’t have much money on me and I didn’t earn a lot in the last few months.”
“I have. So don’t worry.”
Suddenly Aiba’s eyes widened and he groaned. “I never told you, right?”
“Told me what?”
“Uhm… Ah…” Aiba coughed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head. Sho was so going to kill him if this was ever getting out.
“I will compensate you for the time you spent with me and the time you helped me out on cases are paid extra of course. For each life-threatening situation, there will be a bonus.”
Ohno’s mouth fell open in shock. He what? “What?”
“You will have money to start a comfortable life and think about what you want to do.”
“Awesome!” Ohno decided with a small chuckle. He shook his head as he still couldn’t believe anything of that, at the same time he felt relief settle in as that meant that he was at least not too worried from the very first moment back on Earth. That was something. They finished their food in silence and Ohno jumped to his feet to lead him to a flower shop where they both choose some flowers before leading him to the rim of the city. He sighed as he stared at the park-like place they were now and walked through the gate.
“Where are we?”
“At my mother’s place,” Ohno said as he took a bucket with water to be able to clean the stone later.
“The place your…” Aiba said slowly as the realisation came over him. He stumbled on his feet as he tried to fasten his step and walk beside of Ohno.
“This is why nothing held you back when you came with me?”
“Yes,” Ohno said as they arrived at his family’s grave. “She had a good life. At least that’s what people tend to tell me. It’s an awful saying, you know?”
“Yes, it’s not very calming,” Aiba agreed as he watched Ohno tend to the grave. He put the flowers down as Ohno was finished and they settled down in front of him.
“Yes,” Ohno agreed with a sigh. “It was hard to lose her, it was always too early, regardless of what people say. I know it could’ve been worse and I know that she isn’t suffering anymore. And that is comforting in a way. Still, sometimes I feel selfish and wish for her to be there.”
“What about your father?”
“He died before her. It was an accident,” he explained. “I still had my mom and I was never that close to him, to begin with.”
“And your mother?”
“Cancer. Cancer sucks,” Ohno said as he leant back on his hands. He looked at the sky, grinning at the sun shining down on him.
“True. Should I leave you alone for a bit?”
“Maybe, let me introduce you to her first. Then do whatever it is that must be rescued from here,” he said with a teasing voice.
“I’m just visiting an old friend.”
Ohno snorted. “Sure. Say my greetings.”
“I will,” Aiba grinned as he sat up straighter when the other started to introduce the time lord to his mother. Aiba greeted the woman, promising her to look after her son, before saying his goodbyes and promising Ohno to meet up later again.
Ohno stayed at his place for a while longer talking to his mother’s grave enjoying the calmness that always washed over him and gave him peace. It was a few hours later that he stood again, moving his stiff joints before leaving the graveyard again. As promised Aiba waited for him at the gate already, leaning against the fence. “You ready?”
“Yes, let’s go back,” Ohno agreed.
“You look better,” Aiba realised, seeing the small smile and grin on his face.
“Yes, I got back some hope,” Ohno said as they walked down the street. He slowed down as he came across the small coffee shop Nino used to work on. Aiba blinked as he slowed down as well, looking at him with confusion on his face.
Ohno stared at the shop with longing eyes, even if he knew that Nino was not inside. Not anymore. He sighed when Aiba poked his side softly. “Do you want coffee?”
“No the shop is way too full now,” Ohno said with a wry smile as he turned around. “Maybe another time. Let’s head back.”
“Okay, if you say so,” Aiba agreed with a small sad frown on his face as he put his arm around Ohno to lead him back to the Chipmunk.
“Come on you can decide on a time and day to go next,” he said as to cheer him up after today.
“I will let the Chipmunk decide.”
“If you let him see inside of you he might fulfil your heart’s wish.”
Ohno smiled softly. That would be nice.