: Keitaro, The Savant :
by
- GlazedAndConfused -
"..." - denotes speech.
"(...)" - denotes whispering.
Italics denote thoughts and Japanese dialogue.
Chapter Sixteen : A Phone Call Can Change It All
Time; a very unusual feature of human life. It can pass in the blink of an eye, or it can move slower than a snail's pace. When you expect it to go fast, it never does. When you wish for the moment of a lifetime to last for exactly that, it only seems to last for a fraction of a second before it is all over. For four people, time is moving as slow as it possibly could; Haruka and Kanako Urashima, the aunt and niece. Mitsune Konno, the fox. And finally, Mutsumi Otohime. The same four people who had gotten closest to their autistic kanrinin ever since he had entered their lives. And now, there was a fifty percent chance that particular part of their lives which occupied a large space in their hearts was going to be ripped from their chests, away... possibly never to be seen again; if not rarely.
Speaking of whom...
Kanako never returned to Hinata Sou that afternoon after the meeting at the Hinata institution. There would be no point in doing so; no matter how much she wanted to her oniichan for what would most probably be the last time, she couldn't bring herself to do so. It wasn't that she did not care any longer for him - that was further from the truth than could be. Everybody knew how much she adored and cared for him; it was just that she did not want her sadness and melancholy to rub off on Keitaro, and inevitably making him sad too. Although she couldn't care less about how Motoko and Naru felt after their initial reactions towards Keitaro's instatement into the dormitory and eventually being made kanrinin, she didn't want any of the other residents to pick up on how she felt.
Particularly the former two.
She was sat under a tree on a hill that overlooked the sea and the buildings below, the sun having just finalised it's descent as the moon began its journey upwards to the highest point of the sky. The silver pendant around her neck that rested above her chest gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight, the stars making the piece of jewellery look as if it were encrusted with only the best diamonds that could be salvaged. The younger Urashima sibling stared up into the sky at the full moon, its clearness and crystalline hue resembling a highly-polished silver platter up in the sky; the pallid glimmer reflecting off the surface of the sea and back into the night sky. The stars looked like silver sequins sewn into a midnight blue fabric. Each of the stars seemed to form a constellation of the kanrinin, complete with the innocent yet emotionless look on his face that everyone had become ever so accustomed to.
She was not alone, however. Her years of training in the Urashima art of jiu-jitsu also made her senses a lot sharper than those of an a untrained person. The sound of rustling fallen leaves and grass caused by footsteps could be heard from about ten feet way. Lifting her head to see who it is, she could see Mutsumi walking towards her, wearing her generic green jumper, brown overalls and brown boots. She too was wearing a solemn look on her face, but she was still able to manage a smile.
Kanako's face was a direct contrast. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot from where she had been crying almost endlessly; her cheeks stained with tear streaks. She had her arms wrapped around herself, trembling violently. This aroused feelings of concern in the Okinawan woman, who sat beside the younger Urashima girl and placed a friendly arm around her. Kanako then did something unexpected; she literally threw herself into Mutsumi's embrace, almost as if she was trying to weld her body into her friend's, wrapping her arms around her and holding on as if the world was going to end. For the umpteenth time that day, the tears began to fall down her cheeks again, her body being wracked like tidal waves crashing against the sea by uncontrollable sobs.
"Mutsumi-san..." Kanako managed to get out in a strangled cry.
"Look, Kanako-san," Mutsumi said, standing up while placing both hands on Kanako's cheeks. "You know that me and Kitsune-san feel the same way as you. If Kei-kun does have to go back, then yes, we will all be sad. Even Motoko-san and Naru-san will be sad. But it's not all that bad. You can still visit him. I'm sure that's not a problem with the people at the institution. He will need family members to keep visiting him anyway, to assure him that he is still loved and thought about." She gave the younger Urashima sibling a reassuring kiss on the forehead and stood up, giving her a friendly smile, then turned and walked back to Hinata Sou.
As she stared at the retreating form of the Okinawan watermelon girl, a small, unsightly smile formed on her face as she whispered to herself.
"Arigato, Mutsumi-san."
She looked back up at the crystalline moon and stayed there, sat at her spot under the tree for the rest of the night, well into the morning.
The next morning.
Back at Hinata Sou, in the onsen, Haruka was having thoughts not unlike those of her niece. At any time during today, we'll all know whether or not Keitaro will be allowed to stay here for as long as he likes, or whether he will have to... go back, she mused as she bathed in the hot waters. By now, the wait had become unbearable, almost as if every minute that had passed was taunting her and rubbing the fact that she may soon lose her disabled nephew right in her face. For that, she felt extremely bitter.
It was like adding salt and vinegar to a fresh wound.
Despite the warmth emanating from the steamy waters, her hands were shaking uncontrollably as she reached for a towel in the shower area.
After drying herself off, Haruka got dressed into fresh clothes, trying to put up a barrier of confidence. This attempt failed - miserably. Once she exited the changing rooms and went back into the house, she looked the complete definition of a nervous wreck; for the time being, a shadow of her former self. Not wanting any of the other residents to see her in such a frail and melancholic state, she rushed out of the dormitory and ran down the large flight of stone steps, back down to the tea shop.
Once she arrived, Haruka closed the door and locked it, flipping over the sign on the door so it read 'Closed'. Feeling as if all her strength had been sucked out of her, she staggered behind the bar and went upstairs into her room, opening up the cupboard and taking out a 'special' bottle of saké. She was barely able to stop her shaking hands from spilling the entire contents of the bottle onto the floor as she poured the liquor into a small glass cup. Raising the small glass to her lips, she sipped the amber liquid and poured herself some more. After about five glasses, she flopped down on her bed
Keitaro... I hope you don't leave, she mused. You mean too much to me, Kanako, Kitsune and Mutsumi to leave us. Especially to Kitsune. You're the only man to have entered her life that actually meant a lot to her, ever since Seta left all those years ago.
The rest of Hinata Sou remained equally as morose and subdued. Motoko was up on the laundry deck, practicing her daily katas. The cold steel of the blade of her katana glimmered brilliantly in the morning sunlight as she swept it down in an arc, slicing it through the air.
But there was something that was slightly abnormal about her movements today.
Her usual rigour and passion associated with her Shinmei Ryu kendo training was completely drained out of her. Normally, her movements would be elegant and perfect, entirely in tune with the movements of her blade.
In short, on her best days, she was the epitome of poetry in motion.
Today, her movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. Her concentration was possibly at the lowest level it had been for a very long time. She knew that if Keitaro were to leave Hinata Sou and go back to the institution, his departure would partly be her and Naru's fault.
One of the most important rules of the Shinmei Ryu school of kendo was honour. All people should be treated with honour, no matter how evil or perverse they may seem. One of the most dishonourable deeds was to maim and possibly kill an unarmed, defenceless person; such an offence would lead to exclusion from the school.
Especially if they were unarmed and had no other means of attack.
Motoko, feeling that she could no longer concentrate, sheathed her sword and sat down on the wooden decking, leaning against the railings. She looked up into the sky, her black eyes no longer looking determined; instead they looked shattered and emotionless, resembling pools of guilt and remorse.
She knew that if Keitaro were to go back, she would never get the chance to atone for her sins towards him.
Even Shinobu seemed down. When she prepared lunch for everyone, her heart was not in her cooking; something which everybody noticed, as she normally cooks - like Motoko and her kendo training - with passion and fervour. The young violet-haired cook didn't even want to think of what the institution's decision may be that day.
Upstairs, Kitsune was – apart from Kanako – affected the worst. While she did spend a decent amount of time with the kanrinin that night, alongside Mutsumi, she was not as sociable and carefree as normal. After Keitaro's arrival, she had cut down on her drinking habits quite a lot. In fact, she even went without a drink for a few nights. But ever since there was a chance that Keitaro would leave, the amount of alcohol consumption escalated once again.
Damn, she mused, solemnly. We don't even know if he's actually going to be leaving yet, and I already miss him even though he's in the next room. She tried forcing herself to try not to consider the possibility that she may never get the opportunity to be as close as she had been over the past few weeks ever again.
She may never even be able to see him ever again, if she was denied the rights to visit him – a possibility which was very doubtful in itself, yet still had a chance of happening.
Her room felt empty without his presence. In fact, she felt empty without his presence too. Time lost all meanings it ever had as she sat there, a bottle of saké in hand, as she sat there thinking about how her life – as well as Kanako's, Mutsumi's and Haruka's – would be without Keitaro at the old dormitory every day. Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft knocking at her door.
"Who is it?" she whispered.
"It's Shinobu." Even the petite, violet-haired girl seemed downcast. "Dinner is ready."
Kitsune really did not feel like eating. "I'm really sorry Shinobu, but I'm not really hungry."
"Okay."
Each minute was like a different method of being tortured, except it didn't affect her on the same scale as it did Haruka and Kanako. The recurring image of a tram pulling out of the local station, with Keitaro and a member of staff carrying luggage leaving her and everyone else behind continued to haunt her, even when she was awake.
She could only think of two words for these recurrent feelings.
Separation anxiety.
The evening had arrived slower than the afternoon had, and everybody was sat in the lobby on the couches. Keitaro was sat between Kitsune and Kanako, with Mutsumi sat next to the foxy woman and Haruka sat next to her niece. Naru and Motoko were sat next to each other separated from the five, looking on with anxiety. Dinner had passed very slowly, with each minute seeming like an entire hour. The atmosphere was growing even more sad and morose as the time slid by. Everyone politely declined and stayed where they were when Shinobu went to make dinner.
In an effort to clear the air and perhaps even lighten up the mood, Naru stood up and walked over to the five.
"Hey," she spoke. "Keitaro may be staying. Nobody's called yet, have they? They may well see here as a good enough place for him to live."
"If you two hadn't treated him like dirt on your shoes when he first came here, maybe none of us would be going through this in the first place" Kanako snarled, her eyes glimmering an ominous hue of crimson. She was poised and ready to attack the first one who dared to speak back at her out of the kendo girl and the auburn-haired girl.
And Haruka knew it. She knew her niece all too well.
Motoko and Naru decided not to press such a delicate issue even further – which seemed to be the most sensible option considering the circumstances. They also knew that Kanako would inform the tea shop owner about the whole cleaning incident in the onsen which occurred about a week after he arrived, and a day after he was instated as kanrinin. They sat down meekly – uncharacteristically for Motoko – and remained silent.
Then, the sound they all wanted to hear but did not want to anticipate began to ring through the lobby of the old dormitory.
The telephone.
Each brassy tone rung and pulsated through the room, the next one louder than the predecessor.
The residents had more or less the same expression on their faces.
Dread.
Anticipation.
Kanako had already stood up to answer the phone...
"No. I'll do it."
...but Haruka stopped her, speaking those four words with an utmost sense of finality. While Kanako was the one who constantly visited Keitaro the most, the tea shop owner was the one who's name was down on the 'Next Of Kin' list. The younger Urashima sibling, respecting her aunt's wish, sat back down beside her brother, wrapping her arms around his right arm. Slowly, Haruka stood up, and went over to the phone, staggering like a zombie. The colour in her cheeks was almost non-existant, as the stress from the waiting of the previous afternoon and the day up until now began to take it's toll on her. She put her hand on her phone, motioning for all the others to leave and wait in the kitchen until she was done on the phone - a request which they complied with respect.
Once everybody had left the room, Haruka forced her hand to lift up the phone.
Slowly.
Every passing second until the receiver reached her ear seemed like an eternity in itself.
Once the receiver had reached her ear, she spoke.
"H-Hello?"
Ten minutes later...
Everybody was sat patiently at the kitchen table, each with more or less the same expressions on their face as before. The repetitive ticking of the wall-mounted clock was the only noise that permeated through the thick layer of silence that lay in the kitchen, until the door was heard opening, to which their heads all snapped up at once.
Haruka looked as if she had seen a ghost, her face pale and her eyes lifeless. She staggered into the room.
"Well?" asked Naru. "What did they say?"
The tea shop owner looked up, her emotionless eyes boring through each of the other residents who had more or less walked over to her.
"They..." She stammered after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. Her eyes watered, as her voice began to waver at the same time. Kanako, Kitsune and Mutsumi could already tell what the news was by her body language, though they decided to hear it from her first. "...They want Keitaro to come back."
Kitsune, Mutsumi and Kanako just stood there, feeling their world beginning to spin and crash down around them as the harshness of reality hit them like a slap in the face. They momentarily felt nauseous and dizzy, before regaining their composure; the three of them wearing blank, emotionless expressions. They blinked a few times before the tears started to well up in their eyes, falling hard and fast once the dams had broken.
The other residents simply just sat in a deeper silence than before.
"So... when are they expecting him back?" Naru asked to break the seemingly endless silence, her voice now a hushed whisper.
"Later, at 6.00." Haruka replied, her voice wavering as she decided not to keep her emotions hidden any longer. "Dr. Aoki will be there at the tram station waiting for us."
With that, Haruka went upstairs, slowly followed by Haruka, Kitsuneand Mutsumi, presumably to start packing Keitaro's belongings.
Two hours later.
"May I have your attention please? The tram for western Hinata Town will be departing from Platform Two shortly. Please start boarding."
Everyone from Hinata Sou slowly raised from their seats in the waiting room and walked out to the platform, where they saw Dr. Aoki stepping out of the tram door, wearing a pale blue blouse and a black pair of trousers. Strands of her long hair were blown about by the calm autumn breeze.
"Dr. Aoki." Haruka greeted monotonously, holding out her hand for a handshake.
"Urashima-san" Dr. Aoki replied in kind, returning the handshake and did the same to Kanako. She turned to Keitaro. "Hello, Keitaro."
"Hello."
Dr. Aoki smiled at Keitaro. She then turned to Haruka and Kanako. "I have the tickets, and I'll be in the third carriage from the front. Why don't you three spend a few more minutes with each other? I'm sure you'd appreciate it."
"Arigato."
She smiled at Kanako and Haruka. "See you two later," she said as she turned to go back into the carriage.
Both the female Urashimas turned to face Keitaro, sad smiles on both of their faces. "Here, Keitaro," Kanako said, holding the guitar she gave him out. "You'll have to carry this with you now. Your songbook is in your bag."
"Yeah." Keitaro replied.
"Kitsune, Mutsumi, Naru and Motoko have going away presents for you," Haruka continued, pulling out a book titled 'Brigate Rossoneri: AC Milan(1899 - 1998)' and gave it to Keitaro.
Mutsumi walked up to Keitaro, takingout a watermelon which she was holding behind her back and gave it to him. "I hope you enjoy it, Kei-kun," she whispered, the tears that formed in her eyes falling down her cheeks. She then cupped Keitaro's cheeks with her hands and gave him a kiss on the lips, before walking back to the other residents. This left Motoko and Naru, who both walked up to him and held out their present. It was a brand new camera, seemingly to replace the one they had broken upon his arrival at the dormitory.
"This is for you, Urashima," Motoko said, showing the faintest signs of shame. "This is to replace the camera that I broke on you when you arrived. I wish to apologise not only for my own behaviour, but also on behalf of Naru-sempai for what we both did. We hope that you can forgive us for our sins." The Shinmei Ryu heir bowed respectfully before Keitaro, then walked back to the other residents. Naru then held her arms out as if to offer a hug; an offer Keitaro accepted. After breaking off the hug, the auburn-haired girl gave him a peck on the cheek.
"Hope to see you soon, Keitaro." She said before walking back over to Motoko.
"Well, what do you say, Keitaro?" Haruka asked, grinning despite her sadness at her nephew's departure.
"Arigato, minna-san."
"All aboard!" the conductor on the platform called.
Kanako smiled lightly at Keitaro. "You better get going then, oniichan."
"Yeah. Metal tram."
"Hai. It is." The younger Urashima girl's face adopted a neutral expression. "Now oniichan, remember; Dr. Aoki only has custody of you. That's not to say that we can't visit you. Now, we're coming to visit you in two weeks. How many days is that?"
"Fourteen days from today. Today's Tuesday.."
Kanako smiled before giving him a hug. "Well done, Kei."
Keitaro then proceeded to walk up the small steps into the tram and stood in the doorway, facing everyone. Haruka walked up to him and gave him a hug too, holding the embrace for about ten seconds before giving him a kiss. "See you soon, Kei."
"Yeah."
Kitsune then walked up to the former kanrinin and held his hands in both of hers. "Keitaro, I'd just like to thank you for being at Hinata Sou. You certainly changed our lives, you know. It was great having you there."
"Yeah."
The fox-eyed woman then leaned in and gave him a kiss on the lips, letting them linger for about the same amount of time as Haruka's hug, breaking off hesitantly.
"I'll see you soon." Kitsune said, her voice beginning to waver.
"Yeah." Keitaro looked around for a few moments while everybody was still boarding, before turning back. "It's one hour until dinner time."
Kitsune smiled. "Don't worry, you'll make it." She walked away from the tram and stood with the other residents, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks too. Just as she reached the other tenants, the tram started it's engine and started to slowly start it's journey away from the station. Asit pulled away, all the residents managed to wave goodbye at their former kanrinin, although he was too engrossed in his new book to notice until Dr. Aoki let him know that they were waving at him. He looked out the window and waved back until they were out of sight.
A few minutes passed until the rest of the residents decided to leave. Mutsumi, Kanako, Kitsune and Haruka, however, decided to stay behind even until the tram had disappeared from sight, left only with their memories of the time that Keitaro had spent with them and how he had affected everyone during this time.
Oniichan... Kanako thought, wiping the tears from her eyes. I will visit you. I'll also bring Haruka-obasan, Kitsune-san and Otohime-san.
Mutsumi, Haruka and Kanako then left the station to return to Hinata Sou, offering Kitsune to come with them to the tea shop; an offer she politely refused, as she wanted to be alone. Once the three women had gone, Kitsune looked down where the tram had left, tears rolling down her cheeks. She raised her hand to her lips and kissed her fingers, then held her arm up in the air as she waved, a sad smile forming on her face.
Only one thought was in her mind.
Bye bye... Kei-kun. I will see you again.
I promise.
: END :
: AUTHOR'S NOTES :
Well, this is it. The end of 'Keitaro, The Savant'. After six months. It took me a hell of a lot longer than I thought it would have to write, that's for sure. Writing this chapter was, indeed, the hardest of the whole lot, but I decided to write it down while I still had ideas in my head. I know this chapter is short, but there wasn't much else I could write - so it may seem slightly rushed. So, apologies if the ending seems pretty disappointing.
I promised that there would be a 'bonus' chapter at the end after this one. Well, sorry to break another promise, but there won't be. I took Mantis Man's advice on board when reading through the reviews again, and decided that it was better to not use alternate endings and just use one ending - thanks for that advice if you're reading, Mantis. ;)
All feedback is welcome. Look at my email address for my profile.