Day 4: Photographs
Photographs
Sakumoto Fic Meme.
September 2012
Summary
“Day 4: Write about what would happen if they got married. Who would be invited? What would happen? Would anything go wrong? Or would they even get married - they could just be civil partners. You don’t have to add dialogue, it could be descriptive.”
A/N
[22.39, 25 September 2012]
Disclaimer
The mastermind behind this plot derives no material profit from it. While several people, places, and events exist in reality, everything that follows should be digested with a healthy dose of suspicion.
Warning
I cannot write bromance or erotica to save my life.
Words 779
Photographs
For Arashi
Sakurai Shun was not a sentimental man.
Like those who came before him in the genealogy of the distinguished Sakurai Clan, he preferred to concentrate on solutions rather than reflections. He did not like to ponder.
And so it was a mystery, most of all to himself, why he was flipping through old photo albums on this particularly dull and gray winter afternoon. They were full of his children’s earliest photos: Sho and Mai blissful on a see-saw, Shu by the beach with his brother. All smiles, all bright eyes.
Sakurai Shun heard himself sigh.
It was Sho’s 50th birthday today.
His wife shuffled behind him as she made her way to and from their bedroom. She was dressed in traditional finery, in the somber kimono that bore their family crest, her grey hair wrapped tightly in place so not a single strand was astray. Yuko had always loved celebrations. How he wished he had the same vitality in him.
But Sho had inherited her warmth, had he not?
Sakurai Shun softly closed the album, and gazed impassively at the home and his wife had built over the course of more than five decades. His youngest child had left five years ago, and for that same period of time, it had been just Yuko and him every day, eating the same meals, sharing the same opinions, mulling over the same thoughts over how their children were faring.
He missed them. How he wished they would visit more often.
The last time his eldest had come to visit, it had been to deliver a wedding invitation. He had always known, of course, that there was a reason Sho had never gotten married despite having been introduced to the most beautiful and most intelligent women in Japan, that there was something about Sho that was different. He had a suspicion the eldest son and the wife had had a serious talk about this, but that he, the father and head of the family, would always be kept guessing. He would always have to surmise.
He had always had to surmise.
Sometimes he regretted sending Sho to an all-boys school. Never mind that it was Keio, never mind that he had had the same education, and he had gotten married the traditional way, that he had built a family the traditional way.
He had known, ever since, that Sho was different.
Perhaps he had known even before Sho.
Sakurai Shun felt more than heard Yuko come to a stop behind him. He craned his neck slowly, meeting the question in her eyes. As he watched her reflective gaze, he wondered how he looked at that exact moment. An old man in a dark kimono, sitting in a living room bathed in the pale orange shades of the setting sun, flipping through old photographs.
It was Sho’s wedding celebration tonight.
Yuko frowned, her forehead creasing with worry as he watched him sit still.
Sakurai Shun exhaled. “Sometimes I think I was never around much to give him the guidance he needed.” He blinked. “I pretty much left the children up to you, didn’t I?”
Her worried gaze softened as she smiled at him. For a moment, it had seemed as though they were in their twenties again, and he had blurted out his proposal, in the middle of a heavy downpour, as they strolled down the banks of the Shinshibaun River. She had smiled at him exactly the same way, just that one other time.
“You did very well, Shun-san.” She raised an inviting hand. “Now come. Our sons are waiting.”
As Sakurai Shun got to his feet, as fluidly as his aging limbs allowed him, he realized he had always known Sho was different. He had always known Jun was different, too.
He told himself often he should be happy that the peak of Arashi’s popularity had long passed. Sho had lost his seat as top anchor of the NTV Evening News - or he had resigned, as he liked to clarify. But Sho was Sho, and he would never run out of things to preoccupy himself with. Meanwhile, Jun had built enough clout in the entertainment industry to remain unfazed by the horrible things that were being said about their choice. But in the entertainment industry, did it even matter what your preference was?
Sho and Jun would never have met outside show business - that much was sure. Still, Sakurai Shun told himself, Sho had always, always been different.
He couldn’t help being proud that Sho stood up for being different.
As he and Yuko made their way to the limousine Sho had hired for tonight, Sakurai Shun thought of all the grandchildren he would never have, all the great grandchildren his children would never have. So many options, so many impossibilities, so many things that now could never be.
But Sakurai Shun was not a sentimental man.
And so he would not ponder.
A/N
[23.18, 25 September 2012]
I’m not sure what Prof. Sakurai’s first name is - is it Yuko or Youko?
Also, Sho mentioned the Shinshibaun River in the Shiyagare Episode with Kikkawa Kouji [2010.07.17]. It is found in Mita, Minato. It doesn’t seem, at all, romantic.
Thank you for reading! ::D
Sakumoto Fic Meme Masterpost.
Sakumoto Fic Meme.
September 2012
Summary
“Day 4: Write about what would happen if they got married. Who would be invited? What would happen? Would anything go wrong? Or would they even get married - they could just be civil partners. You don’t have to add dialogue, it could be descriptive.”
A/N
[22.39, 25 September 2012]
Disclaimer
The mastermind behind this plot derives no material profit from it. While several people, places, and events exist in reality, everything that follows should be digested with a healthy dose of suspicion.
Warning
I cannot write bromance or erotica to save my life.
Words 779
Photographs
For Arashi
Sakurai Shun was not a sentimental man.
Like those who came before him in the genealogy of the distinguished Sakurai Clan, he preferred to concentrate on solutions rather than reflections. He did not like to ponder.
And so it was a mystery, most of all to himself, why he was flipping through old photo albums on this particularly dull and gray winter afternoon. They were full of his children’s earliest photos: Sho and Mai blissful on a see-saw, Shu by the beach with his brother. All smiles, all bright eyes.
Sakurai Shun heard himself sigh.
It was Sho’s 50th birthday today.
His wife shuffled behind him as she made her way to and from their bedroom. She was dressed in traditional finery, in the somber kimono that bore their family crest, her grey hair wrapped tightly in place so not a single strand was astray. Yuko had always loved celebrations. How he wished he had the same vitality in him.
But Sho had inherited her warmth, had he not?
Sakurai Shun softly closed the album, and gazed impassively at the home and his wife had built over the course of more than five decades. His youngest child had left five years ago, and for that same period of time, it had been just Yuko and him every day, eating the same meals, sharing the same opinions, mulling over the same thoughts over how their children were faring.
He missed them. How he wished they would visit more often.
The last time his eldest had come to visit, it had been to deliver a wedding invitation. He had always known, of course, that there was a reason Sho had never gotten married despite having been introduced to the most beautiful and most intelligent women in Japan, that there was something about Sho that was different. He had a suspicion the eldest son and the wife had had a serious talk about this, but that he, the father and head of the family, would always be kept guessing. He would always have to surmise.
He had always had to surmise.
Sometimes he regretted sending Sho to an all-boys school. Never mind that it was Keio, never mind that he had had the same education, and he had gotten married the traditional way, that he had built a family the traditional way.
He had known, ever since, that Sho was different.
Perhaps he had known even before Sho.
Sakurai Shun felt more than heard Yuko come to a stop behind him. He craned his neck slowly, meeting the question in her eyes. As he watched her reflective gaze, he wondered how he looked at that exact moment. An old man in a dark kimono, sitting in a living room bathed in the pale orange shades of the setting sun, flipping through old photographs.
It was Sho’s wedding celebration tonight.
Yuko frowned, her forehead creasing with worry as he watched him sit still.
Sakurai Shun exhaled. “Sometimes I think I was never around much to give him the guidance he needed.” He blinked. “I pretty much left the children up to you, didn’t I?”
Her worried gaze softened as she smiled at him. For a moment, it had seemed as though they were in their twenties again, and he had blurted out his proposal, in the middle of a heavy downpour, as they strolled down the banks of the Shinshibaun River. She had smiled at him exactly the same way, just that one other time.
“You did very well, Shun-san.” She raised an inviting hand. “Now come. Our sons are waiting.”
As Sakurai Shun got to his feet, as fluidly as his aging limbs allowed him, he realized he had always known Sho was different. He had always known Jun was different, too.
He told himself often he should be happy that the peak of Arashi’s popularity had long passed. Sho had lost his seat as top anchor of the NTV Evening News - or he had resigned, as he liked to clarify. But Sho was Sho, and he would never run out of things to preoccupy himself with. Meanwhile, Jun had built enough clout in the entertainment industry to remain unfazed by the horrible things that were being said about their choice. But in the entertainment industry, did it even matter what your preference was?
Sho and Jun would never have met outside show business - that much was sure. Still, Sakurai Shun told himself, Sho had always, always been different.
He couldn’t help being proud that Sho stood up for being different.
As he and Yuko made their way to the limousine Sho had hired for tonight, Sakurai Shun thought of all the grandchildren he would never have, all the great grandchildren his children would never have. So many options, so many impossibilities, so many things that now could never be.
But Sakurai Shun was not a sentimental man.
And so he would not ponder.
A/N
[23.18, 25 September 2012]
I’m not sure what Prof. Sakurai’s first name is - is it Yuko or Youko?
Also, Sho mentioned the Shinshibaun River in the Shiyagare Episode with Kikkawa Kouji [2010.07.17]. It is found in Mita, Minato. It doesn’t seem, at all, romantic.
Thank you for reading! ::D
Sakumoto Fic Meme Masterpost.