[FIC] : Haru's Story
Yuki-chan,
Happy anniversary. We are celebrating our 19th year of marriage today ne? let’s keep what all we have right now yuki-chan, the love and the trust that we have to each other since then and I wanted not just to keep it but to cherish it forever.
Hayato
She creased the letter attached to the bunch of red roses that been delivered for her to the hospital few moments ago. The nurse and physicians can’t hide their smiles as they witnessed Koyuki reading it. Her husband received murmurs of praises from them. Though she’s way too far, he managed to send out flowers. It was just flowers and a letter that teenagers used to do, filled with passion for his wife.
But Koyuki hadn’t reacted. She just silently put the paper in her pocket and carried the bouquet, taking her steps away from the people. Just far from them, to a silent place as possible and she found the ladies restroom.
“The love and the trust that we have to each other since then and I wanted not just to keep it but to cherish it forever.”
With trembling hands she turned the faucet. She rubbed her hands against each other, roughly until her tears began to occupy the edge of her eyes, not from the pain that she felt in her hands, but it is the pain of doing such thing Hayato ought not to have it at all. She hated herself. She doesn’t deserve that trust and even his love as well.
Her eyes slowly went to the mirror in front. She saw her own reflection. Full of misery. Full of lies. Full of guilt. She wanted it to end but how? How she will end the forbidden relationship that brought her to life? How Koyuki would take her path into right one? She take a deep breath after she cleansed her face with water and put again herself up again by fixing her hair and putting make-up then she removed her golden wedding ring on her finger without any hesitations.
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
“Jin?”
He opened his eyes, slowly, with eagerness to open it with a little bit faster so he could see the person who called his name. The Paracetamol he had took few hours ago before Tatsuya left doesn’t worked as he noticed. He felt his head got even heavier and worst because he suffered from weird itchiness. The urge to be on his feet and welcome her was on his mind, but not on his body.
Jin heard thumps from the floor, getting closer to him. He can’t clearly see the image but he could smell her scent. The strong feminine smell that he longed for. It was strong yet inviting and tempting just like a spell. If he could freely express how happy he was that she lastly came back to him. He can only do for now is show a faint smile to her.
He felt her hand that gently placed on his forehead. Her tender and smooth palms sent out warmth to his chilling body. It relaxes him for awhile, not at much as he also felt how worried she was, although he can’t plainly see, her tone lead him to that conclusion.
Jin grabbed her hand and guided it to his lips “I miss you… Welcome home,”
“Sorry I’m not here to take care of you,” she felt the guilt on leaving him all of the sudden, but then Jin didn’t let her to be gloomy. Jin loved her very much that he do anything to make her smile.
He smirked “It’s okay… it’s just an headache with a bit participation of fever that annoys me,”
She knelt as she pulled down his blanket and frowned “What medicine did you took?”
“Uhm Paracetamol?”
“I warned you once Jin… you can’t take up Paracetamol because it may lead to some allergic reactions,” she told, frowning, seeing red spots scattered to his whole body.
“Wait, I’ll get some water and glove for you to avoid hard scratching,”
She straightens her knees and went to the kitchen. She opened the packs of grocery stuffs. She expected this that it’s not one of Jin’s routine to go to grocery to atleast store some foods so she drove off to grocery first before going to his apartment.
After unpacking things, she prepared small basin of water and hoe over pair of gloves that usually used every winter in the closet. She done everything she needed just a couple of minutes and she came back to Jin whose burnt out with fever.
While wiping Jin’s arm, she pick up her phone “Koyuki,” a man uttered.
“Did you receive my gift for you? Happy anniversary honey I love you. I wish you could come early as you promise,” Hayato added.
Koyuki heave a sigh. She didn’t even heed her phone as she cast her gaze to Jin. The young man suddenly pulled the woman to lie down next to him then covered her with his arms as she buried her head.
“I can’t leave you,” she muttered with her broken voice.
“Is there any problem?” Jin gently pushed her to meet her teary eyes.
“What will you do if I’m telling a lie?” she bit her lower lip, she knew that her heart was only beating only for one man, only for Jin.
But he loves Kazuya as well, equally to Jin’s. She can’t leave her son just like that yet, Jin… like she could die thinking of herself walking away to Jin. They’d once went overboard and there’s no point of turning back. Koyuki saw a useless future if she’ll choose to walk back. She’d hurt people already in her life. It won’t change sacrificing Jin.
He smirks “Nothing, as long as you’re here even you’re lying… I don’t care,”
“I love you Jin….”
******
Together with smiles, Jin welcomed the sunshine outside. No fever and allergies at all for him. He felt great and even greater as he saw Koyuki sleeping next to him. Jin planted kiss on her forehead gently then smiled as he witnessed Koyuki opening her eyes.
“Good morning,” he grinned.
Koyuki take her hand to Jin’s forehead “I bet you feel good now,”
Jin hauled up and pulled her “come on,”
“Where?”
“To restaurant and take some breakfast?”
She smiled as she open the window “Okay,”
After fixing themselves, Jin and Koyuki went outside hand in hand. He felt happiness fluttering his heart in that morning. It was unusual for Koyuki to agree with him to walk outside with their hands holding. He always asking why yet she always refuse, and she’s a woman who’s an expert in taking their talks into other topics. On that day, Jin just walked with nothing else on his mind. No questions. Just happiness.
They take a walk going to their favorite restaurant. Though people they encountered stared at them as they did such crime. Koyuki had almost seventeen years gap of age from Jin but she didn’t looked like in her age. The time didn’t steal her beauty for years. But the fact was still there, many people who always see judge them of being sarcastic. Judge them of being satirical due to their great age gap. But they don’t care if how many prickly words from people would rip them apart as long as they have each other. Even their affair can’t succeed from the peoples’ hypercritical sights. They will make their own world only for them. Just for them.
Koyuki wanted to show to the people who see them that this man she was holding was the man who gave her life again. Though their relationship was unlawful because she was married with Hayato, she didn’t consider their every moments as forbidden, she ponder it as the best moments she ever made with him and she loved Jin more than anything else in this world.
Her strength to hold Jin’s hand was vanished and replaced by chill on her spine as she saw a figure standing few meters from them gazing at her, asking with his eyes.
“Oi Tat-chan!” Jin waved his hand to the guy standing in front of them.
Tatsuya washed off his daze and approached the couple “hey,”
“I want you to meet my girlfriend.”
Koyuki evade Tatsuya’s eyes. She was afraid of what she would see within them. She knew her nephew was shocked of what he saw yet he hid his emotions, smoothly. He was silently standing now in her front. What he will say? She raised her sight, slowly until it reaches the sunlight up to Tatsuya’s orbs. He was smiling, lively as if there’s no tension between.
“Hi I’m Tatsuya… Ueda Tatsuya,” he extent his hand, innocently as if he hadn’t met Koyuki before.
The older woman accepted his hand and act like Tatsuya did “Koyuki… nice to meet you,”
“Yeah same as mine, it’s good to meet Japanese people here overseas isn’t?” he uttered as he looked at his watch.
“I guess I need to go now,”
“Where? Its Sunday isn’t? “ Jin asked as the man walked away.
Tatsuya waved his hand without looking at them “to the place where I could breathe some fresh air,”
*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:*
Kazuya pushed the door leisurely when he sens that a man was laid at the sofa near it. He covered Hayato with the blanket he brought. He felt asleep at the music room waiting for his wife. He cleaned the table occupied with empty bottles of beer and planted a gentle kiss on his father before heading to the kitchen.
He gawked to the cloak. 12 noon. He already felt his stomach growling for food. The young man heaves a sigh before he prepared a hot pan and grabbed some bacon to the fridge. Since his father was still in cold, in charging himself from cooking for their lunch was the best thing to do right now.
“Need help?”
He smiled then turned to the man older than him leaning to the door frame. He welcomed him with a warm embrace.
“Tatsuya,”
Tatsuya detached himself from his cousin as he grinned “You’re cooking bacon for lunch?”
He nodded, shyly “Papa is the one who cooks our meals most of the time,” and he can’t cook no more than frying bacon in his entire life.
He guided the younger to the dining table “Just sit here okay? Let me cook,”
“Where’s auntie Koyuki?” he asked while preparing the ingredients.
“Should I be the one to ask you that since you’re in the same city isn’t?
“Life in Los Angeles isn’t easy Kazu. Every people are chasing with time and it might be the reason why we can’t see each other there,” he lied that he just saw Koyuki this morning with another man, he didn’t want to mention it to Kazuya.
Kazuya folded his arms over the table and rested his chin. “Maybe mama is still in Los Angeles. She didn’t came home last night,”
“You’re not certain where she is?"
“Her phone was shut off since last night,”
Tatsuya halted from chopping as he reminisced early in the morning when he saw Koyuki with Jin. She looked overflowing with joy like she has nothing left someone who waits for her come back. His veins were packed with rage whenever he remembered that. Why she need to do this?
“Oh, Tatsuya you’re here,” Hayato come in, quite messed up due to his hang over last night.
Tatsuya peeked to the dining table “Kindly wait there okay? I’ll just cook this,” he uttered then went back to kitchen.
After approximately ten minutes, Tatsuya come out to the kitchen with a bowl of his specialty dish. Three men satisfied their hunger with the roasted chicken with stir fry vegetables that he prepared.
“I learn to cook in Japan,” he said before he chow down.
“Really? So you owe it to Japan,” Kazuya laughed.
“You must go to our country. There are many beautiful things you will discover,” Tatsuya told.
Kazuya looked to his father “Might be in summer. It will be my first glimpse to the country where I truly came from right papa?”
Hayato ruffled his son’s hair as he chuckled “Let’s check our schedules first okay? Especially your mama, she really needs to check it,”
“Honey, join us here, Tatsuya cooked for us,” Hayato stood up and pulled her wife who had come few moments to join them.
Tatsuya hauled up from his chair that surprised them “Excuse me, I’m full,”
“You haven’t touched your food Tat-chan,” Hayato wondered.
“I’ve lost my appetite,”
The dining table went stilled instantly as Tatsuya disappeared and went outside. Koyuki gestured to her husband before he followed her nephew to the backyard garden. As she lastly reached it, her eyes locked to him who grabbed a pack of cigarette a light one of it. He put the cigarette straightly into his mouth with his wobbling hands as he sat at a bench in the small shaded part of the garden that been barely under the sun.
“I can’t believe that you can do this to your family,” he uttered as he extend his arms to the bench then stared above.
Koyuki sighed as he speaks “I need to explain,”
The younger man place the cigarette again, hardly inhaled the smoke “Explain ‘bout what? No need. I’m not yet blind,”
“But----“
“What are you trying to say? You will say that you’re just friends that wandering while holding hands or you will deny what he said that you’re his girlfriend?”
Her eyes watered with tears “Will you tell this to them?”
The man stood up and meets her eyes “is there still shame running through your fibers? Don’t you even think of Uncle Hayato who had been loyal to you for many years?” His respect towards the woman ebbed all this time. He had nothing but loathe reflected to his eyes.
“You don’t know everything,” Koyuki’s voice was shaking. He didn’t know everything. No one could understand her, because they always see Hayato as pure and not sinful because no one knew about what Hayato hiding behind his image, except her.
He clenched his fist as he concealed the tears on his eyes as he just walked out, leaving her alone in tears.
PART 3
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