Chapter 2 The Pinky Ring
“You know how mom is, she’s going to first flip out and than be overwhelmed with tears of joy when she sees you walking through those doors. Did you know whenever I came home for a visit her all she ever babbles about is you. Or instead of questioning and concerned about me, she’d look into my eyes and ask about you. If you were eating properly, sleeping well, and if you needed money. It’s like I’m not her son or something.”
I sat there quietly listening to Jin talk with full of excitement and laughed out loud. I bet he’s imagining something weird once again. I looked straight ahead watching cars passing by us one after another. I saw Jin looking at me when we came upon a red light with the corner of my eyes. He looked like he was going to say something when he opened his mouth, but he just kept staring at me.
“Jin, the light turned green.”
“Oh, shit. Thanks Kazu.”
Jin quickly shifted into gears and we arrived home after a full 30 min ride. Kazuki slowly unbuckled his seatbelt looking out the window. His eyes never left the mansion as he got out of the car. He stood there rooted to the ground.
Flashback
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=The.Pinky.Ring=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
“This is your new home Kazuki, do you like it?” Said a little kid with blond short mushroom hair. He kept saying he was my brand new brother, I pretended I didn’t hear him. I gave him the cold shoulder. I nicked name him, ‘The Babble Kid’ because he’d go on and on about something so meaningless. He never ever knew when to shut up. He was like the undying mosquitoes always hovering beside my ear.
“It’s really big isn’t it? Daddy is a company president of something.” Said a mini version of the babble kid. He also had a short mushroom haircut, he had big round eyes holding a lollipop in his hand. I nicknamed him ‘The Copy Cat.’ Because he always copied whatever Babble kid was doing and what he said. The true monkey see monkey do. I always ignored Copy Cat.
I stared at the mansion in front of me, it had a huge fountain in the middle. The house was pure white it looked like it was a house made for only God to live in. It had a round-a-bout in the and in the middle of it was the fountain. The front door was large wooden doors for giants to entire. The house looked like it was extending forever horizontal and vertically. It was the biggest house I’ve seen in my whole entire life.
End of flashback
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=The.Pinky.Ring=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Jin saw Kazuki in a daze once again, he quickly shook his head and with a heavy sigh he walked up to him and slapped him right in the back. Kazuki nearly fell flat on his face but right before he gave himself a nosebleed he stumbled a few steps before catching his balance he stood up straight and turned around. He gave Jin a cold stare and rubbed his back as he walked towards the house leaving Jin trailing behind him calling his little brothers name.
As soon as they entered the doors they were greeted by five maids all dressed nicely with their shirt ironed and aprons around their waist. Jin smiled at all the maids as he passed by leaving some of the younger ones in giggles. I walked straight ignoring their welcomes and turned into the living room. I saw the familiar slim body and long brown hair just below her shoulders she sat in one of the arm chairs flipping through the old family album. With her back straight sitting so gracefully, she always had the aura of light surrounding her. She was the most thankful person and the only person I thought I still owned a debt too. She saved my life, and gave me a new name and family to restart my life once again. I walked closer and closer to her questioning myself when was the right time to greet her. My fingers in my palm gripped tightly as I inched closer and closer to her. She slowly lifted her head up and looked at my direction. I immediately stopped in my tracks and stood frozen into the ground. She carefully closed the big family album and stood up and walked towards me. For some reason, I always felt shy in front of her, because I owed her too much, I couldn’t look her in the eye. However, she always lifted my chins up with her smooth silky hands and made sure we always had eye contact.
“Kazuki.” She said with a smile on her face her fingers still balancing on my head. “You have to lift your head up more, so I can see your beautiful eyes. It’s been too long, welcome home.” She let her fingers drop away from my chin.
Like always, I blushed slightly because of her angelic face and soft voice. I gave her a small nod and smile and softly said “Tadaima” and she patted me on the head like always.
“Look at the motherly love caring so much for her one and only son.” Said Jin with a deep sigh as he walked closer towards mother. Jin opened his arms for an embrace and I watched mom raise her eyebrows chuckling slightly at Jin. She gently hit Jin’s arms and returned the hug. They both laughed and mom gently pinched Jin’s cheeks.
“I have three wonderful princes as my son.”
“Where’s the third little prince mom?” Questioned Jin as he looked left and right scanning the room. Obviously, he isn’t in this room stupid. I thought to myself as I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not sure, he ran out of the house in a hurry. Anyways lets sit down and have a long chat, we have lots to catch up on.” She gently touched my arms and led me to the chair and I sat down beside her. Jin occupied himself with another coach beside us. Mom had called a maids name and asked her to prepare some fruits for us. It was mostly Jin and mom talking most of the time and I listened, but than again, I never listened in the conversations in anyways. I drifted into my own world, while playing with my pinky ring.
After a while I excused myself and went upstairs to look around. Nothing really has passed within these couple of months. The same family picture on the walls besides the stairs. The same white carpets on the floors as I walked down to the very end of the hall looking to the right. A small rectangular wooden board carved Kazuki hanging on the front of the door. I gripped the doorknob and twisted it open. The bed still had snoopy bed sheets, covers, and pillows. Random drawing and paintings hung in the little corner of the wall. I walked in and touched the wooden table in front of the big panel window. There was no dust on it that meant my room was often wiped and cleaned by the maids. I flung myself onto the bed and hugged the pillow with my hands under the pillow and smiled a bit. Peace and quiet. I felt my mind in still silence as I was going to drift into my slumber. However, my quiet moment was ruined when I heard someone quickly scrambling into my room. My first thought it was stupid Jin but when I lifted my head off my pillow and looked at the door it was a young maid. She gasped putting her hand over her mouth and stood by the door.
“What do you want? Shouldn’t you at least knock?”
“I’m… uh… I thought.” She stuttered tripped over her words. “I thought it was one of the maids that came into the room cleaning. And I know we aren’t suppose to….I’m truly really really sorry young master?” I sat there calmly looking at her in a hectic moment.
“I… you know... I’m not really sure if you’re a master in this house. Not to mention I’m kind of new around here and ever since I started working I only saw Akanishi Jin-san home and Reio-san. Are you the other son?”
I scoffed and shook my head and stared at the maid. Is this girl stupid? “Yes I am, why would a stranger lie on another strangers bed, do you think I’m goldilocks from the fairytale?” I sighed in disbelief and got off the bed and walked towards the door, shoulder to shoulder, me facing the door. I whispered, “Get out of my room, and never come in again. Also, close the door after you leave, understand?” I stuffed my pocket into my jeans and dragged me feet out of the room.
As I arrived back downstairs into the living room Jin and mom was still chatting amongst one another. I settle back into my seat next to mom and rested my head on the arm of the chair and closed my eyes. I fell asleep on the sofa time seemed meaningless and useless.
“Yo, sleepy-head it’s dinner time.” I felt someone kick my legs gently but I continued to ignore the voice. “Hey, I said wake up sleeping pig, sleep after you arrive in your apartment okay, stop sleeping, mom’s waiting.” I shot up from my seat and glared at Jin who took a step back and pointed at the dinner table. I growled and got off the sofa and walked towards the dinner table and sat in the chair.
A variety of food was displayed on the table I picked up my chopsticks and mumbled “Idadikemasu,” and reached out to grab a broccoli. Dinner was silent, I ignored moms questions and Jin’s glare. For some reason, I was all of sudden in a bad mood, maybe it was because Jin forcefully made me get up when I didn’t want too.
2am while everyone was asleep Kazuki’s eyes were still wide open as he lay under his snoopy covers trying to fall asleep. As he twisted and turned around and around for several hours he was defeated against his own body with a deep sigh he walked out of his room and stood by the door. He saw a light across his room and he wondered who was in the guest room. He knocked on the door quietly not trying to wake anyone up yet hoping whoever in the room could hear the knock. He waited several seconds before his second knock. By the end of the third knock he turned the doorknob slowly and stepped into the room. Kazuki walked past a corner of the wall and saw a girl with a white sweater on with the hoodie over her head having headphones plugged into her ears. She sat in the wooden desk with textbook laid out in front of her and her laptop on to the side as she typed madly on the keyboard. Kazuki walked up to her and tapped her on the shoulder which caused her to jump and Kazuki could see her mouth the words ‘AHHH’ and he quickly used his hands and covered her mouth and hissed “SHHH!” into her ears. The girl struggled trying to wiggle out of Kazuki’s arms. Finally he let go.
The girl turned around and stared at Kazuki and she fell off her seat. She sat there with her big eyes staring back at Kazuki. She unplugged her headphones from her ear and stood up. “Why don’t you knock when you enter someone’s room?” She said in a mocking voice.
“It’s too bad I did, at least three times trying to emphasize the word three.” Kazuki said as he rolled his eyes. “And, your room? You live here?” questioned Kazuki.
“Madame said I could, since I’m in a bad situation right now.” She whispered out silently kind of ashamed. “Master what are you doing up so late?” trying to change the topic.
“I couldn’t sleep so I was going to go to the kitchen get water, but I saw your lights, so I wanted to see who was in the room.” Kazuki whispered as he used his left hands thumb brushing his nose. The girl saw the sliver pinky ring and giggled.
“Master, I didn’t know guys wear pinky rings.” As her giggles turned into laughter’s yet trying to be polite by covering her hands over her mouth.
“I’m not master, my name is Kazuki. Don’t call me master.”
“Mou, I can’t, I’ll be in big trouble.”
“It’s an order.”
“Hai, hai, what’s your name again? I was still thinking about the pinky ring, I didn’t get your name.”
“Kazuki.” He replied looking at the girl, both of them stood there blinking at one another. “What? What’s wrong with my name?” He questioned wondering why the girl turned so silent.
“Ki? As in Kazu for harmony and Ki for hope?”
“Yes, why?”
“Unn~~nothing nothing, my name is Mi…Mi.. Miki? Yeah, Miki” She nodded her head up and down as she said her name full of pride.
“It takes you that long to say your name? Why did you stutter over your own name?” Kazuki raised his eyebrow eyeing the girl. Miki smiled widely showing her white teeth and patted Kazuki’s shoulder. “I’ll go get you a glass of water. Let’s go let’s go.” Miki placed her hands on both Kazuki’s shoulder and pushed him out the door and quietly closing the door behind her.
If I remember correctly he was the only child. But that pinky ring, unn, it can’t be. Mizuki, snap out of it. Even if it was him, I’m sure he would have recognized me. Not to mention they have different names, they just have similar names. Yep yep, lets go get masters water.