[Fanfic] We'll Always Have Paris - Chapter Thirty - Seven: Turning Point
I hope you'll like this. I think it's a bit crappy lacking. IDK.
There's an important announcement at the end of the chapter!! :)))
As always, this is unbeta-ed so tell me if there are any errors and mistakes. Comments, suggestions, reactions and criticisms are gladly welcomed. Happy reading! :)
Disclaimer: I am no way related to Arashi, Johnny's Entertainment or the Japanese Imperial Family. All names and events pertaining to any member of the Imperial family are purely fictional.
Words: 1,746
Chapter Thirty - Seven: Turning Point
Sakurai Sho steps inside the familiar living room of his parent’s home. The lights are dimmed and the silence is unbearable, he can even clearly hear the sound of his own footsteps as he look for a sight of his parents or his siblings. He can’t remember the last time he came here but it still looks the same as when he left to live on his own. Everything is still placed on the same area for as long as he can remember. His mother is working since he was young so she doesn’t have the time to clean and take care of the house like most mothers do.
He quietly steps into the porch across the living room. His parents used sit and have tea in this area after dinner so he figured he might find them there. And true enough, they are there, sitting around the small wooden table sipping their after dinner tea.
He slowly approached them as soon as he saw their figures. Oblivious to their eldest son’s presence, Sho cleared his throat to get their attention. His parents quickly turned their heads to look at him as awkward silence fills the small porch, the sound of beetles are loudly audible in the garden before them.
“Sho.” He heard his father say. “Join us for tea.” He motioned on the empty chair for Sho to sit.
Sho nodded nonchalantly as he steps forward to sit while his mother quickly excuses herself to get a cup for him.
The awful silence continued until his mother returned, he just can’t stand being alone with his father. They both never knew what to say or talk about, it has always been that way since before and he wondered if it will ever change.
“Where are the others?” Sho asked, trying to cut the unbearable silence. “Mai and Shu aren’t here?”
“It’s a weekend and those two are almost always not here during weekend.” Sakurai Youko, his mother, answered.
The awkwardness is still visible in their voices. He never spoke to his mother after that morning at his apartment, not even after she sent endless messages asking to talk again or Sayumi’s urging to make up with her.
Sho just needs a little time to prepare this meeting. Since the suggestion of Johnny-san to end all issues, he made up his mind to see his parents and have a serious talk about their misunderstandings but he needed time to think about what he will say, to calculate every single possible scenario and to put his pride down for their sake. He knows that it’s not going to be easy with his father and for this meeting to work, he needed to cast himself down, which is a hard thing to do considering how he handles his pride.
“Did you come here to talk about Princess Sayumi?” Sakurai Shun asked all of a sudden. Sho quickly shoots his eyes on him. “Of course, you did.” He concluded as he sips on his tea.
Sho puts down his cup and clutches his hands around it. “Sayumi and I decided to get married.” He announces as his parents gapes at him in shock.
“Do you think it’s that easy to marry someone from that family?” His father’s voice rose up in agitation. “They are the Imperial family, Sho.”
“I know that.” Sho replied instantly. “But we already got the Crown Prince’s blessing.”
“What about our blessing?” His father interrupts. “Do you plan to get married without our blessing?”
There was silence. His father is looking at him impatiently while his mother is quietly talking to him with her eyes. The recent happenings are too much for her, he thought. That’s why she instantly called him that morning when the news about him and Sayumi broke out, why she appeared at his door without warning and why she kept on sending him messages everyday asking to talk.
Sho faced his mother. “I’m sorry I’m too hard on you.” He quickly asks for apology as he realizes his mistakes. “I just don’t know how to handle all the pressure and I suck at setting priorities at this point. I wanted to protect Sayumi, that’s all I care about. I’m sorry if I failed to notice how worried you are.”
His mother shakes her head understandingly. “She must be a very special girl.” She smiled, reaching for Sho’s hand and squeezing it with hers.
It’s just too surreal that he’s having a heart to heart talk with his mother. He never imagined this will happen at all.
“But Sho…” His mother’s voice cracks in apprehension. “I have no problem with Princess Sayumi. When I met her, she seems like a nice girl. But it her family we are worried about…” She quickly turns her gaze at her husband who is tapping his fingers on the wooden table as he stares blankly at his tea.
“When your mother came to your apartment… I was visited by the Emperor on my office the day before.” His father told him and it’s now his turn to gape.
“How come you never told me?” Sho asked his mother relentlessly.
“I don’t want to worry you and besides, she’s in your apartment that day.” His mother answered. “I know that she run away from her father the day before, I don’t want her to run away even more if she finds out that her grandfather visited your father.”
“A lot has been happening inside the Imperial family the past few months, even before the accident occurred. They’ve been keeping it away from the prying ears of the media.”
“The amendment of the law to allow female members to succeed.” Sho puts in and his father nods his head.
“I’ve been hearing about that before. Apparently, inside the government, the news already spread. That’s why I wondered why it hasn’t reached the media yet.” Sakurai Shun paused to look at Sho, who’s all ears on what he’s about to say next.
“When he visited me at my office, he only made one thing clear… he wanted Princess Sayumi to reign as Empress.”
“I still don’t understand why he’s still insisting on Yumi to succeed. Obviously, she’s too traumatized from her experience when she was young. She doesn’t want that life anymore. She wanted to be free.” Sho said irritably, his eyebrows crossing in anger.
“He told me that the Princess has a gentle heart, like her parents. She genuinely cares about other people and he only saw that in her.”
“You mean he doesn’t trust anyone else in his family?” Sho mockingly said.
“Well, you know how other members of that family strive to get attention. They all wanted it, Sho. They’re practically fighting for that precious spot.” His father said meaningfully.
“And he wanted me out of her life…” Sho mumbled out in realization.
“They’ve arranged someone for her. Apparently, they are carefully choosing a partner for her since the diet started the hearing for the amendment.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. It’s a ridiculous mess already.” Sho buried his face in his hands. Now, even his own family is dragged into this mess. He doesn’t know what to do now, his mind is floating away. He wanted to burst into tears but he doesn’t want to do it in front of his parents.
“I really thought the Emperor will threaten to oust me in my post when he appeared at my office.” Sakurai Shun chuckled silently. “But he came calmly and surprisingly, in a good mood. We had a light talk about his plans for the Princess. He was just looking for his family, he says.”
“Looking out for his family against his own family.” Sho added crossly. He shakes his head, fighting the tears in his eyes. “If he really cares about Yumi, he will not do this to her. And why can’t he see me personally instead of dragging my own family into this? He’s not being fair!”
“Do you really like her, Sho?” His father suddenly asked.
“I love her.” Sho answered quietly.
His parents exchanged looks before they both shifts their gaze on him.
“I was against this, you know.” His father told him. “I don’t want you to get involved in the mess of that family.”
“I don’t intend to.” Sho told him. “If she marries me before that law is enacted, she will be free of that family and I wouldn’t have to involve myself in whatever mess they have. She will be married into our family instead and that’s better.”
Silence fills the small porch. His parents are thinking of what to say next.
“You have our blessing.” Sakurai Shun announces and Sho quickly lifts his head up to look at them. His father nods his head reassuringly and his mother is encouraging him with a smile while stroking his arm.
“Are you serious?” He asked again, confirming if he heard it right.
“Your mother and I support your decision to get married.” Sakurai Shun told him.
A big smile suddenly appeared on Sho’s face. He can’t believe his father just said that.
“Just like your mother said, she must be a really special girl. Going this length to protect and defend her against everyone.”
Sho can’t erase the smile across his face, this is the first time he ever felt grateful to them for fully supporting his decisions.
“At this point in your life, we only want your happiness, Sho.” His mother told him and he quickly pulled her in a hug. He whispered his apologies again for what happened the last time they met and she quickly ask him to not worry about it.
“Well, I hope you bring her here to meet us before the wedding.” His mother suggested and they all laughed.
“Of course, I will. She’ll love to meet you guys.” Sho answered gently.
His gaze falls to his father who gave him a small smile of assurance. Sho nodded and taps his father’s shoulders softly, a mere simple gesture of appreciation for the turn of events tonight.
They may have not talked about their differences but he feels that everything starting to change tonight. It just feels different, like he feels at ease with them now, no sign of worry or apprehension looming over his chest. He felt glad that the usual feeling of tension around them is gone now and he feels completely happy and content.
The next chapter will be the last one. :( And it's going to be longer than usual. And along with the update with the final chap, I will also include the prologue of the Nino fanfic. Look forward to it! :)))
There's an important announcement at the end of the chapter!! :)))
As always, this is unbeta-ed so tell me if there are any errors and mistakes. Comments, suggestions, reactions and criticisms are gladly welcomed. Happy reading! :)
Disclaimer: I am no way related to Arashi, Johnny's Entertainment or the Japanese Imperial Family. All names and events pertaining to any member of the Imperial family are purely fictional.
Words: 1,746
Chapter Thirty - Seven: Turning Point
Sakurai Sho steps inside the familiar living room of his parent’s home. The lights are dimmed and the silence is unbearable, he can even clearly hear the sound of his own footsteps as he look for a sight of his parents or his siblings. He can’t remember the last time he came here but it still looks the same as when he left to live on his own. Everything is still placed on the same area for as long as he can remember. His mother is working since he was young so she doesn’t have the time to clean and take care of the house like most mothers do.
He quietly steps into the porch across the living room. His parents used sit and have tea in this area after dinner so he figured he might find them there. And true enough, they are there, sitting around the small wooden table sipping their after dinner tea.
He slowly approached them as soon as he saw their figures. Oblivious to their eldest son’s presence, Sho cleared his throat to get their attention. His parents quickly turned their heads to look at him as awkward silence fills the small porch, the sound of beetles are loudly audible in the garden before them.
“Sho.” He heard his father say. “Join us for tea.” He motioned on the empty chair for Sho to sit.
Sho nodded nonchalantly as he steps forward to sit while his mother quickly excuses herself to get a cup for him.
The awful silence continued until his mother returned, he just can’t stand being alone with his father. They both never knew what to say or talk about, it has always been that way since before and he wondered if it will ever change.
“Where are the others?” Sho asked, trying to cut the unbearable silence. “Mai and Shu aren’t here?”
“It’s a weekend and those two are almost always not here during weekend.” Sakurai Youko, his mother, answered.
The awkwardness is still visible in their voices. He never spoke to his mother after that morning at his apartment, not even after she sent endless messages asking to talk again or Sayumi’s urging to make up with her.
Sho just needs a little time to prepare this meeting. Since the suggestion of Johnny-san to end all issues, he made up his mind to see his parents and have a serious talk about their misunderstandings but he needed time to think about what he will say, to calculate every single possible scenario and to put his pride down for their sake. He knows that it’s not going to be easy with his father and for this meeting to work, he needed to cast himself down, which is a hard thing to do considering how he handles his pride.
“Did you come here to talk about Princess Sayumi?” Sakurai Shun asked all of a sudden. Sho quickly shoots his eyes on him. “Of course, you did.” He concluded as he sips on his tea.
Sho puts down his cup and clutches his hands around it. “Sayumi and I decided to get married.” He announces as his parents gapes at him in shock.
“Do you think it’s that easy to marry someone from that family?” His father’s voice rose up in agitation. “They are the Imperial family, Sho.”
“I know that.” Sho replied instantly. “But we already got the Crown Prince’s blessing.”
“What about our blessing?” His father interrupts. “Do you plan to get married without our blessing?”
There was silence. His father is looking at him impatiently while his mother is quietly talking to him with her eyes. The recent happenings are too much for her, he thought. That’s why she instantly called him that morning when the news about him and Sayumi broke out, why she appeared at his door without warning and why she kept on sending him messages everyday asking to talk.
Sho faced his mother. “I’m sorry I’m too hard on you.” He quickly asks for apology as he realizes his mistakes. “I just don’t know how to handle all the pressure and I suck at setting priorities at this point. I wanted to protect Sayumi, that’s all I care about. I’m sorry if I failed to notice how worried you are.”
His mother shakes her head understandingly. “She must be a very special girl.” She smiled, reaching for Sho’s hand and squeezing it with hers.
It’s just too surreal that he’s having a heart to heart talk with his mother. He never imagined this will happen at all.
“But Sho…” His mother’s voice cracks in apprehension. “I have no problem with Princess Sayumi. When I met her, she seems like a nice girl. But it her family we are worried about…” She quickly turns her gaze at her husband who is tapping his fingers on the wooden table as he stares blankly at his tea.
“When your mother came to your apartment… I was visited by the Emperor on my office the day before.” His father told him and it’s now his turn to gape.
“How come you never told me?” Sho asked his mother relentlessly.
“I don’t want to worry you and besides, she’s in your apartment that day.” His mother answered. “I know that she run away from her father the day before, I don’t want her to run away even more if she finds out that her grandfather visited your father.”
“A lot has been happening inside the Imperial family the past few months, even before the accident occurred. They’ve been keeping it away from the prying ears of the media.”
“The amendment of the law to allow female members to succeed.” Sho puts in and his father nods his head.
“I’ve been hearing about that before. Apparently, inside the government, the news already spread. That’s why I wondered why it hasn’t reached the media yet.” Sakurai Shun paused to look at Sho, who’s all ears on what he’s about to say next.
“When he visited me at my office, he only made one thing clear… he wanted Princess Sayumi to reign as Empress.”
“I still don’t understand why he’s still insisting on Yumi to succeed. Obviously, she’s too traumatized from her experience when she was young. She doesn’t want that life anymore. She wanted to be free.” Sho said irritably, his eyebrows crossing in anger.
“He told me that the Princess has a gentle heart, like her parents. She genuinely cares about other people and he only saw that in her.”
“You mean he doesn’t trust anyone else in his family?” Sho mockingly said.
“Well, you know how other members of that family strive to get attention. They all wanted it, Sho. They’re practically fighting for that precious spot.” His father said meaningfully.
“And he wanted me out of her life…” Sho mumbled out in realization.
“They’ve arranged someone for her. Apparently, they are carefully choosing a partner for her since the diet started the hearing for the amendment.”
“I can’t believe this is happening. It’s a ridiculous mess already.” Sho buried his face in his hands. Now, even his own family is dragged into this mess. He doesn’t know what to do now, his mind is floating away. He wanted to burst into tears but he doesn’t want to do it in front of his parents.
“I really thought the Emperor will threaten to oust me in my post when he appeared at my office.” Sakurai Shun chuckled silently. “But he came calmly and surprisingly, in a good mood. We had a light talk about his plans for the Princess. He was just looking for his family, he says.”
“Looking out for his family against his own family.” Sho added crossly. He shakes his head, fighting the tears in his eyes. “If he really cares about Yumi, he will not do this to her. And why can’t he see me personally instead of dragging my own family into this? He’s not being fair!”
“Do you really like her, Sho?” His father suddenly asked.
“I love her.” Sho answered quietly.
His parents exchanged looks before they both shifts their gaze on him.
“I was against this, you know.” His father told him. “I don’t want you to get involved in the mess of that family.”
“I don’t intend to.” Sho told him. “If she marries me before that law is enacted, she will be free of that family and I wouldn’t have to involve myself in whatever mess they have. She will be married into our family instead and that’s better.”
Silence fills the small porch. His parents are thinking of what to say next.
“You have our blessing.” Sakurai Shun announces and Sho quickly lifts his head up to look at them. His father nods his head reassuringly and his mother is encouraging him with a smile while stroking his arm.
“Are you serious?” He asked again, confirming if he heard it right.
“Your mother and I support your decision to get married.” Sakurai Shun told him.
A big smile suddenly appeared on Sho’s face. He can’t believe his father just said that.
“Just like your mother said, she must be a really special girl. Going this length to protect and defend her against everyone.”
Sho can’t erase the smile across his face, this is the first time he ever felt grateful to them for fully supporting his decisions.
“At this point in your life, we only want your happiness, Sho.” His mother told him and he quickly pulled her in a hug. He whispered his apologies again for what happened the last time they met and she quickly ask him to not worry about it.
“Well, I hope you bring her here to meet us before the wedding.” His mother suggested and they all laughed.
“Of course, I will. She’ll love to meet you guys.” Sho answered gently.
His gaze falls to his father who gave him a small smile of assurance. Sho nodded and taps his father’s shoulders softly, a mere simple gesture of appreciation for the turn of events tonight.
They may have not talked about their differences but he feels that everything starting to change tonight. It just feels different, like he feels at ease with them now, no sign of worry or apprehension looming over his chest. He felt glad that the usual feeling of tension around them is gone now and he feels completely happy and content.
The next chapter will be the last one. :( And it's going to be longer than usual. And along with the update with the final chap, I will also include the prologue of the Nino fanfic. Look forward to it! :)))