Tanjoobi
"Eh?? It's Rei's birthday tomorrow?" Mariko nodded, stunned at the shocked look on Yuusuke's face. It was a cool afternoon in late October. He had met Mariko, Keiko, and Mina after they were released from school. He had been on his way home from his own classes when he saw them from across the street and called out to them. They had the afternoon off from practice since Rei had held morning practice and canceled afternoon classes.
"Ishikawa-senpai never likes to talk about his birthday," Keiko said with a sad sigh.
"Eh? Dooshite?" The girls looked at one another and then back at Yuusuke and shrugged.
"I remember last year when someone mentioned his birthday, he walked away," Mariko mused as they waited for a street sign to change. "Someone asked him when his birthday was, he gave the date, then left."
"Doesn't anyone know why he acts that way?"
"The teachers do," Mina replied. "All of the teachers know Ishikawa-senpai really well. They all know why Senpai doesn't like to have his birthday mentioned. But none of them ever say. No one dares to ask but everyone's curious." Yuusuke thought about what they said. An idea suddenly occurred to him, causing him to stop short in the middle of the sidewalk. Keiko, not realizing he had stopped, walking right into him, bumping him from behind.
"Arisugawa-san?"
"I think I have an idea why Rei doesn't like his birthday mentioned," was the reply.
"Eh??" The girls stared at him, waiting for him to go on.
"But I have to ask someone first. I'll see you girls at the next practice." Smiling cheerily, Yuusuke waved as he ran off. The girls were left on the street side, staring after him, wondering what was up.
It didn't take long for Yuusuke to make his way to the Ishikawa household. He stepped up to the door and rang the chime, waiting. It took only a minute delay before the wooden entrance way slid open and Ayako's kind face greeted him with a smile.
"A ra, Arisugawa-kun," she said cheerfully, bidding him to enter. Yuusuke did so with a nod, removing his shoes before entering the household.
"Rei-sama has canceled practice today, has he not?"
"Ah, hai," Yuusuke stammered, following her to the kitchen. "But that's not why I'm here."
"Oh? Then what brings you for a visit?" He looked around as they entered the kitchen, thankful only Suzume and Kotaro were there; little Miyu was off running errands and Kazuya was cleaning the yard of leaves.
"He isn't home, is he?" he asked nervously, bowing to Suzume and Kotaro, both seated at a table nearby.
"Rei-sama?" Kotaro asked, setting down his teacup. "Iya, he said this morning he might not return until just before dinner. Said he wanted to do some studying at the library and then take his watch to be fixed before returning."
"Oh�" Suzume stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Did you want to speak to him, Arisugawa-kun?" she asked.
"Eh? Ah, iya. Actually, I wanted to speak to all of you." Ayako blinked in surprise, motioning for him to sit at the table. He did so just as Kazuya entered. The gardener took a seat next to his wife, across from Yuusuke, as Ayako sat to the young man's right.
"What did you want to talk about?" Kotaro asked.
"Well�I heard tomorrow is Rei's birthday."
"Hai, it's his eighteen birthday," Suzume replied, pouring him a cup of warm tea.
"I also heard he doesn't like to have it mentioned. I was wondering why and I came up with a thought."
"And what would that be?"
"I thought maybe the reason he doesn't like to mention it or have it mentioned is that�well, maybe it was the day his parents died." Kotaro coughed, nearly choking on his tea. The others, save for Ayako, just stared at him; the maid helped the accountant regain his posture. Yuusuke quickly took in all of their stunned looks and sighed.
"So I'm right then?"
"Ha�hai," Suzume replied, her voice shaking slightly despite the control she was trying to exert over it. "Tomorrow is not only Rei-sama's birthday�but also the fifth anniversary of his parents' death."
"What happened? Or shouldn't I be asking?"
"No, it's all right," Kotaro replied, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Since you came up with the idea yourself, there's no use in hiding it from you. Kazuya was there, he can tell you." The four turned to the gardener, who sipped his tea for a moment. His face was calm, but his eyes were clouded over with emotion and remembrance. His voice was surprisingly steady as he spoke.
"It happened five years ago tomorrow," Kazuya began slowly, looking at each of them in turn. "Rei-sama's parents, Masaki-sama and Yohko-sama, had been visiting friends in Kyoto. I was also in Kyoto visiting family while Suzume and Miyu-chan remained here, especially since Miyu-chan had a school performance coming up and needed to practice.
"Yohko-sama wanted to return in time for Rei-sama's birthday. She said that even if they arrived one minute before midnight, it would be enough that they arrived in time. So they left Kyoto in the afternoon and drove to back to Tokyo. I was following them in another car. All of a sudden, the car in front of them swerved. Masaki-sama tried to avoid it but it was too late. They hit the side of the other car with full impact. I was some distance away so I managed to stop in time, as well as everyone behind me.
"When the ambulance arrived, they pronounced Masaki-sama and Yohko-sama dead. Apparently they had died on impact. The driver of the other car survived somehow; he said he had lost control of the wheel and was trying to swerve to prevent from hitting the others cars."
"So ka�" The room was quiet for a few minutes afterwards as the four household keeps remembered and the archery student took in what he had just been told.
"Ne, how close was Rei to his parents?"
"Rei-sama was very close to Masaki-sama and Yohko-sama," Kotaro replied. "He was like the mirror image of Masaki-sama. Both of them were quiet, calm. They hardly spoke, but you could see respect and admiration in Rei-sama's eyes for his father; likewise, Masaki-sama held pride and happiness regarding Rei-sama."
"Yohko-sama was sweet and kind," Suzume said. "She never said harsh words, only words of encouragement and praise. She was soft spoken, but also spoke her piece. Masaki-sama always respected her opinion, especially when it regarded Rei-sama. She was also a wonderful dancer and sometimes held classes here when there weren't any archery practices."
"Rei-sama loved both of his parents dearly," Ayako continued. "He never once imagined a life without them�until they were gone. I guess he was the most stunned to receive the news of their deaths, but he kept his face calm and his emotions to himself. Never once did he shed a tear in front of others, but I can't say if he did when he was alone." Yuusuke nodded. What he had just heard stunned him. He wasn't stunned by the idea of Rei loving his parents, rather he was stunned by how Rei kept his emotions secret from others. He wondered if, when he was alone, whether Rei thought about that time and cried or not.
He must be a strong person to go through so much at such a young age. But how can he keep those emotions bottled up inside? It would tear me to pieces if I wasn't able to let others know how I feel. The group sat a few more minutes in silence before Yuusuke decided it was time for him to go. Finishing his tea, he thanked them all for speaking to him and telling him of such a delicate matter. Each smiled kindly to him, bidding him a good night and hoping to see him at the next practice.
Rei, how do you keep such strong feelings inside of yourself? he thought as he walked on the darkening street, a number of people passing him, heading for home or dinner.
Don't you ever cry? Don't you ever yell? Why must you always be so calm? Why must you put on a mask so others can't see how you feel? Are you doing it to prevent them from worrying about you? Baka, there are people who already worry about you.
One day I want to see you cry. I want to see you smile and laugh. Because, then, I'll know you're really okay. Then, others can stop worrying about you. Hearing a faint click in front of him, Yuusuke looked up and found Rei walking in his direction, the buckle of his shoulder school bag clicking shut as Rei stuffed something inside and closed it.
"Rei." He looked up, surprised to hear his name. He was more surprised to see Yuusuke rushing over to him.
"What are you doing here?" Yuusuke asked once he stood before him.
"Getting my watch fixed," he replied calmly. "It died on me this morning. I've been running around all day without knowing the time. It made me feel los�" His sentence ended in a soft startled cry as Yuusuke suddenly reached out and held him. He could feel the blood rushing to his cheeks as Rei felt Yuusuke hugging him close.
"A�Arisugawa-kun�"
"Yuusuke." Rei blinked, not sure if he heard right.
"Nani?"
"Just call me Yuusuke, Rei."
"Ha�hai."
Kawai so, kimi wa. Demo, I'll be there if you need someone. Zutto. He pulled back, releasing him from the close contact. The flush was still apparent on Rei's cheeks, making Yuusuke smile.
"I'll see you at the next practice," he said faintly before walking away. Rei stared after him, wondering what that was all about. He waited until Yuusuke had disappeared into the crowd before heading towards home.
"Itekimasu." Ayako smiled as she watched Rei slip into his shoes, heading out for school that morning.
"Iterasshai," she replied in a cheery voice. They both knew what day it was, but neither said anything. Later that night someone would mention it, but that would be dealt with at the proper time.
Ayako waved as Rei left the house, tossing his school bag over his shoulder as he headed out. Just as he was passing the mail slot at the front gates, he noticed something white sticking out of the slot. Curious, he stopped and removed it, feeling a slight weight within a white envelope. Slowly he opened, wondering.
Out slipped a new watch into his hands along with a small sheet of folded paper. Rei blinked, staring at the watch in his palm with its black band, silver hands, and mother-of-pearl dial. In a slight daze he unfolded the paper and began to read.
Rei, otanjoobi omedetto. Kiyo tsuke te, ne? Soshite, genki de. Yuusuke. A small, faint smile began to creep across his features as Rei strapped the watch to his left wrist. He read the note again before pocketing it.
"Arigato," he whispered before rushing off for the day's classes.