Moving In(3)

The thing about actions is that there will always be a consequence.

If you kill someone you would pay by always having to be aware.

If you break someone's heart, the past may just come to haunt you.

If you get angry, despite all your justifications, there will always be a knot in the string you tied.

And as Tooru sat on the small table next to Naoko, he noticed her leaning away, just for her to come back.

The whole time, she did not utter a word to him. Or Yoojun.

Yoojun was trying to say random things, but he would always end up in a silence. Staring out at the empty space.

Tooru wanted to plunge a knife heart-deep into his pre-sleep self.

But then suddenly Naoko spoke.

"Sorry for annoying you yesterday, but is your favourite flavour chocolate or vanilla?"

Tooru felt a lump in his throat, and so he stammered, "Vanilla."

And then there was silence.

Naoko nodded.

No one spoke.

Tooru had taken a break. So he sat on his bed, all alone. Thinking about what he had done.

And how lonely he felt. The ache in his heart had settled deep like dust collecting in untouched waters.

And for the first time since when he had come to the house, he felt like an outsider.

Heck he made everyone feel like that.

He sighed and pulled on his hair out of frustration.

Slowly, he let him fall asleep.

When he woke up, it was because of the smell of chocolate.

He woke up, and looked at his bedside drawer.

With a note—'Hapy Birtday'

The words were written by sketchpens of different colours, and a smiley made at the end.

It was his birthday…yesterday.

He did not remember telling them that.

But he did remember telling Miss Shizuka that.

He took a bite out of the cake—he hated chocolate. But it was the best cake in the whole world. Enough to make tears fall down his face.

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he stammered, wiping his tears.

"Are you okay?" Yoojun asked as he sat next to Tooru.

"I'm sorry." Tooru mumbled.

"It's fine." Yoojun patted his back.

"I should not have said that, I fucked up so bad." Tooru looked at Yoojun, his eyes and nose red.

"You should not have said that, I guess, but even if a thread has been knotted it can be undone, if you are patient enough." Yoojun said in a tone that was normally reserved for Naoko.

Yoojun stood up but as Yoojun was walking away, Tooru held onto his sleeve—"Thank you."

After a small pause, he said, "I've never celebrated my birthday before."

"Huh? Why?" Yoojun asked, leaning against the door.

"I have eight brothers, all more talented and cooler, so my parents never had time for me," Tooru mumbled, as though reminiscing his memories. "And unluckily it was a holiday for my nanny, whose daughter had the same birthday."

"But she did bring me cake," Tooru chuckled and looked at Yoojun, "It was a vanilla cake, her daughter loved it."

Yoojun and Tooru both were silent.

Yoojun started, "My parent's did not celebrate my birthday either, but I always had cake." 

"They bought it for you?" Tooru asked.

"No," Yoojun paused and sighed, "My sister would always bring some, she had a friend's birthday."

"When is your birthday?" Tooru asked.

Yoojun thought for a moment, "I don't remember."

After a thoughtful pause he said, "Well anyway, happy birthday!"

"Thank you." Tooru smiled.

Yoojun closed the door.

Tooru sighed.

He wished he could take back and apologize.

Did he…even apologize?

He woke up suddenly.

He opened the door, and walked into the living-dining-drawing room. It was where everything always took place.

Naoko was sitting there making something.

"Naoko!" 

She looked at him.

He bowed a ninety degree– "I am so so sorry."

"I spoke very rudely, I should not have let my anger out on you."

Tooru slowly sat next to Naoko and bowed.

Naoko looked at him.

She placed a bracelet next to him, a paper bracelet.

"Now all of us match!" Her voice was quiet.

Tooru looked at the bracelet and her, "Thank you."

They sat together.

"What, what are you doing?" Tooru tried to start a conversation.

"Making cranes?" Naoko folded another paper.

"Why?" Tooru asked, but he almost knew.

"So that my sadness disappears." Naoko's words reminded Tooru that he had made her feel like that.

Tooru went quiet, then said— 'How many are you done with?"

"Twenty."

Tooru sat and watched her make around a hundred.

After which they had been called for dinner and Yoojun did all the talking.

They all went to sleep.

But there was a knock on Yoojun's door.

He opened the door, "What is it?"

"Let's make paper cranes? A thousand!" Tooru said, walking into his room.

"Huh why?" Yoojun tilted his head.

"Naoko is making them, don't you know what they symbolize?" Tooru asked.

Yoojun shook his head.

"They say a thousand cranes can grant your wishes," Tooru's eyes were red, he couldn't think straight. "So if we make one thousand we can make Naoko's wish stronger!"

Yoojun sighed and looked at him.

And nodded.

So Tooru took a week off.

But neither of them knew how to actually make them.

They asked Miss Shizuka for help.

"What about my flowers, Yoojun?" She chided Yoojun while teaching them.

"Which flowers?" Yoojun asked with curiosity

He suddenly said, "Oh yeah, speaking of flowers, I need some sunflowers,"

"For?" Tooru asked, almost tearing the paper crane.

"For the old man's wife!" Yoojun grinned and said, "The one who made those pickles you like!"

"Where is she?" Tooru asked while making his second crane.

"In the grave in our home?" Yoojun said.

No one spoke anymore.

And they made and made.

Paper cranes.

In the morning Naoko would, at night those two.

Naoko finished the cranes in the next two days.

Tooru and Yoojun stared in surprise, their hands filled with paper cuts.

Soon they made a hundred.

A two hundred and fifty.

Five hundred.

One thousand!

Yoojun yelled in the middle of the night when they finished.

They stared at the thousand cranes.

"Why don't we put them on the ceiling? Including Naoko's," Yoojun suggested.

"Good idea!" Tooru sighed.

When Naoko woke up, she saw on one side cranes neat and beautiful, the ones she made. The other had messy and ugly ones—the ones Yoojun and Tooru made.

They were both sleeping.

Tooru woke up.

When he saw Naoko he said with his eyes barely opening.

"You have two wishes now!"

Tooru smiled like a kid.

Then he fell asleep.