Little Kazu - After One Year
Continuation of this
“Kazunari,”
Kazu lifted his face, looking at the direction of the king of his people. As usual, his king looked solemn. It was hard trying to read what the expression might mean. But, Kazu knew what’s going to happen. He would be punished for what he did. It was wrong of him to tell Satoshi the truth about himself. He shouldn’t tell the human about pixie. He shouldn’t show his true form to a human. But, he cannot help himself.
“Do you admit your mistake?” Asked the king. “Do you admit that you have endangered our species by showing your true form to a human?”
Kazu only nodded his head. Seeing his admission to the wrongdoing, the king let out a sigh. Of course, he wouldn’t have the heart to punish Kazu. Kazu was his own son. But, a rule is a rule. As a king, he should be impartial.
“You will be punished for what you did, Kazunari,”
Kazu only nodded his head, ready to accept his punishment. The king snapped his finger. With it, everything around Kazu started to swirl, making his head dizzy. He tried to steady himself but it was hard. He closed his eyes, hoping that it would help to ease his dizziness. But, it was futile as it got stronger causing Kazu to lose his consciousness.
“Hey, what are you doing here?”
Kazu opened his eyes when someone shook his body. He couldn’t stop the squeaking that escaped from his mouth when he saw two pairs of eyes staring straight at him. Without thinking, he pushed whatever it was away from him.
“Ouch!” said the thing. Kazu took the chance to look at the thing properly, realizing it was a man. The person rubbed his head as it bumped into the wall when Kazu pushed him away. Kazu felt bad for hurting the man so he immediately stood up to help the man.
“Sorry,” He quickly apologized.
“It’s okay,” said the man, smiling widely at him. “It doesn’t hurt at all,”
Kazu returned the smile. This was strange. Was this the first time he met the guy? It felt like he had seen him before but he couldn’t remember.
“I’m Aiba Masaki,” said the man, introducing himself. Kazu tilted his head, trying to remember if he had heard the name before. Something was tingling in his mind but nothing came out. “You can call me Aiba-chan. What’s your name?”
“Kazu,” He answered, realizing that it was the only thing he could remember.
It had been a year.
Whenever Satoshi looked at the drawer at his workplace, his mind would drift off, thinking about a certain pixie named Kazu who used to hide there. The pixie appeared before him, claiming that he would help Satoshi find the love of his life. Kazu could hear his thoughts and telepathically speak to him. At first, it was weird for Satoshi to suddenly hear Kazu talk in his mind. But, when Satoshi was getting used to the presence, the pixie left him all alone. Satoshi waited and waited for Kazu to come back. But, he never did and Satoshi started to lose hope. Was what happened between him and Kazu simply a figment of his imagination? After all, Satoshi had nothing to prove Kazu's existence.
“Lost in your thoughts, Satoshi?”
Satoshi lifted his face. His eyes met Sho's who was looking at him with concern. Without saying anything, he simply nodded at his manager and friend. If only he could tell someone else about Kazu… But, the fear of being called crazy prevented him from doing so.
“How was your trip to Osaka?” Asked Sho. Satoshi went to Osaka last week for work and had only returned yesterday. Of course, there were some problems but it wasn’t something that he couldn’t handle. He had already prepared a report detailing his trip and emailed it to Sho. Knowing that Sho is a workaholic, he must have read it.
“It went well,” Answered Satoshi. “You can read it from my report,”
"Well, you know that is not what I mean," teased Sho. "What do you think of Ms Mina? I heard she is still single,"
Satoshi fought the urge to roll his eyes. This had always happened. Whenever they had a cute and single client, Sho would try to set him up.
"She's pretty. That's all,"
“Oh, come on,” Sho patted his back. “You should ask her out. How long are you going to be single? Even Matsujun has moved on,”
Jun, or who they often called Matsujun, is a waiter at Masaki's Chinese restaurant. A year ago, when Satoshi had first met Jun, the man had asked him out on a date. And, under his pixie Kazu's advice, Satoshi had agreed. The date was wonderful. But… well, he cannot lie to himself. Jun wasn't the person he wanted to be with. So, he rejected the man. Jun was fine with the decision, admitting that he didn't think they were compatible after the first date. Then, they became friends, and now, Jun had found his replacement. Satoshi hadn’t had a chance to meet the person yet but based on what he heard from both Masaki and Sho, Jun’s lover seemed wonderful.
“I’m not interested, Sho-san,” answered Satoshi. In the back of his mind, he thought about what Kazu had told him a year ago. Something about giving people a chance before deciding whether or not they are compatible. Ah, be damned about the advice. He had no interest whatsoever to date anymore.
"Okay, whatever you say," said Sho. "Anyway, I need your help. It's about Masaki,"
This piqued Satoshi's interest as he noticed the look of concern on Sho's face. Sho had been in a relationship with Masaki for quite some time. Did they have any problems?
"What's wrong?"
"Well, you know how kind Masaki is, right?" Sho let out a sigh before he started. "He trusts people easily. While you were away in Osaka, he met a strange man in his restaurant,"
"Strange?"
"Un. The man claimed he couldn't remember anything other than his name. And, Masaki felt sorry for him and decided to take care of the man. He brought the man to stay with us. The thing is… I don't know if we can trust the man. What if he is a criminal?"
Satoshi was well aware of the kind heart that Masaki had. Whenever he met a puppy or cat that had been abandoned, he would bring it home. He would take care of the animal and then send it to an adoption centre. Now, it had been extended to a human who seemed to have no recollection of who he was. It's understandable but Satoshi had to side with Sho this time. It’s too risky to trust someone he barely knew.
"How did they meet?"
"He found the man sleeping in front of his restaurant," answered Sho. "The man looks nice but I don't know. He seems weird and I don't like the way he speaks,"
"Why? Does he have a weird accent?"
Sho shook his head. "No, it's not because of his accent. It's the way he addressed himself,"
Satoshi frowned as he waited for Sho to elaborate.
"He keeps referring to himself as a third person," explained Sho. Satoshi's frown deepened upon hearing it. He knew someone who spoke as a third person. What if… No, he shook his head. That would be impossible.
“This is how he talks,” Sho continued, not realizing the change in Satoshi's expression. “Oh, this is the first time Kazu eats a hamburger. He doesn’t know it is delicious. Thank you, Masaki!”
Satoshi flinched as he watched the way Sho imitated the strange man who was now living with Masaki and Sho. Did Sho just say…
“Kazu?”
“Yes, that’s his name. Apparently, that’s the only thing he remembers,”
Oh my, Satoshi gasped. The name… the way he talked… Why were they similar to his Kazu? Was that his Kazu, then? If that man was indeed his Kazu, why didn’t he come to him? Why did Kazu go to Masaki?
There’s no other way. He had to meet this so-called Kazu to get the answers for all the questions he had.
“I want to see him,” Satoshi suddenly declared. “Where is he now?”
“Err… with Masaki, I guess,” answered Sho, sounding confused because of Satoshi's sudden interest in the mysterious man. “I think he will be in the restaurant to help Masaki with the preparation,”
Satoshi glanced at the clock. It's almost time for lunch. Great! He would go there later and get his answer from Kazu.
"Junny," Kazu called the stern-looking man who stood a few feet from him. He pointed at the carrot that he had just cut. "Does Junny think this is okay?"
Jun walked closer to him and inspected the carrots. He wasn't smiling and Kazu became worried. The expression on Jun's face seemed to indicate that Kazu did a terrible job. And it was proven when the man shook his head.
"They are a bit thicker," said Jun. Kazu could only pout, thinking of what a failure he was. He couldn't do a simple job. Would Masaki still let him work here, then?
Kazu squealed in surprise when Jun suddenly lifted his face and smiled at him.
"But, I think it is acceptable. You did a great job, Kazu,"
Kazu blinked his eyes. Eh? Did he hear properly? Jun complimented him, right? He said Kazu did a great job, didn't he? Even his tone of voice was encouraging.
"You did great, Kazu," Jun repeated what he said as if he knew Kazu was doubting himself.
"Really? Junny thinks Masaki will accept this?"
"Un," Jun nodded his head. "But, why do you want to work in the kitchen, Kazu? I thought you like working as a waiter with me,"
"Kazu likes working as a waiter. But…"
He had been staying with Masaki for a week now. It's weird. Even though he didn't remember who he was, everything else seemed familiar to him. Pretty sure he had seen most of the staff in Masaki's restaurant. In fact, he was positive that he had already known Masaki and Jun prior to meeting them. However, no matter how hard he tried, he still didn't get the answer. All he got, in return, was a painful headache. That's why he stopped forcing his mind to remember.
“You are afraid of Sakurai-san?” Jun made a guess. And, Kazu quickly nodded his head. There’s no use denying it. Everyone knew Sakurai, who is dating Masaki, didn’t like Kazu. The man thought Kazu was a criminal and pretending to lose his memory to avoid getting caught. But, that’s not true! Kazu truly had no idea who he really was. How could Sakurai think of him like that!
“Is that why you asked if you could stay with me?” Asked Jun. And, once again, Kazu nodded his head. Right now, he had been living with Masaki. And, as Sakurai also stayed in the same house, it was uncomfortable. He hated being the reason for the dispute between Masaki and Sakurai.
“Hmm…” Jun looked at him with sympathy. “I’m sorry, Kazu. I’m staying with my girlfriend right now. I don’t think she will agree,”
Kazu tried to smile at Jun even though it’s hard. “It’s okay, Junny. Kazu understands,”
“Maybe we can ask Satoshi,” Jun suggested. “He went to Osaka last week. That’s why you haven’t met him yet. He is nice. I’m sure he will let you stay with him,”
“Satoshi?” Kazu repeated. As he said the name, a sad feeling washed over him, which startled him. Why would he feel sad because of someone he never met? “Who is Satoshi?”
Masaki appeared before Jun could answer him. He looked at the carrots that Kazu had cut and grinned widely.
“Wah, Kazu, this is great! Thank you for helping us in the kitchen. We have a few customers already. Can you please take their orders?”
“Eh?” Kazu was shocked. “Didn’t Masaki say Kazu doesn’t have to work in the front anymore? Kazu didn’t want to see Sakurai-san! He doesn’t like Kazu,”
He knew he sounded childish like now. And, it was ungrateful of him to demand such a thing from Masaki when that man had helped him a lot. But, he didn’t want to bump into Sakurai in the restaurant. Seeing the scary man at home was more than enough.
“Err…” Masaki looked guilty. “I’m sorry, Kazu. I forgot about it. But, the customers requested for you. They love you, Kazu-chan. Ah, but don’t worry. You only have to serve those customers today. Don’t worry. Sho-chan won’t come around this time,”
Kazu reluctantly nodded his head. It’s true. It was still early for Sakurai to show up. Since he worked here, he noticed that Sakurai would usually come around 1:30. Looking at the time, that would be 45 minutes away. So, with a forced smile, he went ahead to greet the customers.
However, a surprise awaited for him when he was ready to take the order from the first table. Sakurai entered the restaurant, bringing along a handsome man with him.
Okay, this was weird, Kazu thought. For one thing, Sakurai was way earlier than usual. But, Kazu wasn’t bothered by it. What Kazu found weird was… the man who was with him. Kazu couldn’t take his eyes off the man as if he was bewitched. And the strange man was also staring at him with his eyes wide open. But, things became weirder after that. Kazu was shocked when the man ran towards him.
“It’s really you, Little Kazu,” said the man with a wide grin. Both Kazu and the strange man were only a couple of steps away. “I know I will see you again,”
Then, the man hugged him and Kazu didn’t know what to do.
A/N: As promised, this is the continuation of Satoshi's birthday wish. Let me know what you think of it, ne? It will be very much appreciated :)