Chapter Text
It all began with colours.
Kuramochi does not know why, but he always had a specific set of colours ranking at the top as his favourite. Starting with Brown, then Amber and finally ending off with Blue and White. The ranks changes from time to time but no other colour has succeeded in taking their place.
His family noticed. Those drawings of someone they do not recognize in his sketchbooks. They thought that it was a phase and Kuramochi would draw things normal children like after a while but, it never happened, it was always that same person.
A boy, light brown hair framing those amber eyes covered with black glasses. He would be clad in white and two shades of blue, with the occasional yellow in the middle of the blues. However, the most eye-catching thing was the smile Kuramochi would have on his face after finishing those drawings.
Kuramochi never showed it off to them though, opting to keep it in his sketchbook and taking them out to stare at every once in a while. The look he had while doing so was as if he was drinking up every detail he could find.
Despite all the weirdness, Kuramochi's family never bothered him about it. They knew how much Kuramochi treasures the drawings he did of that boy and it would pain them to see him in tears from their rejection.
One day, a new obsession came, baseball and his family, especially his grandfather revelled in the fact that his new touch of weirdness was a bit more normal this time around.
It started when his grandfather, Banri turned on the television and a game of baseball was played, specifically, one that had Kazuo Matsui batting. Then began Kuramochi's entrance to baseball.
Kuramochi cannot lie, it was a fun sport, his favourite even. One that keeps his heart pumping from all the excitement and tension from being in a pinch and escaping said pinch. He loved the thrill baseball brings to his daily life.
Once he was old enough, his father, Raito bought him a bat and a baseball, two things that he thought was essential for the sport. To which got Kuramochi's belittling of how the mitt is important too and dragged his grandfather, who was more knowledgable, along to a shop that sold some.
It was a quaint shop, and considering the neighbourhood, Kuramochi lives in, it was a miracle it survived but it could be reasoned that having a muscular shopkeeper had its own warding effect.
Walking down the aisle of mitts, Kuramochi looked at each and everyone one of them with the scanning eyes of a hawk. He did not know what he was looking out for but something inside of him made him wanna pick the mitt himself.
His grandfather stood by the side, giving him his own comments on the mitts and how some would be better for a speedy rascal like him. It was nice to finally find someone in the Kuramochi family that shared his love for baseball and better yet, serves as a good bonding experience between generations.
Soon, Kuramochi came across a special mitt, one that was of such a similar shade to his favourite brown, it immediately caught his attention. Seemingly sparkling under the shop's light, it had stitches slightly worn but still tight. It screamed perfection to him.
Picking it up in his tiny hands, Kuramochi stared at it from the various angles his small body allowed him to have. He soon saw another mitt from the corner of his eye. It looked different from the ones he just passed by, colour a bright shade of yellow and design, extremely familiar.
"What's this dad?" Kuramochi picked it up and brought both mitts to the counter area, where Raito had stood waiting the whole time. He had asked his grandfather prior to this but Banri only gave him a mysterious smirk and told him to question his father instead.
Raito's proud smile cracked at the sight of the mitt. Not being a big sports fan, which angered Banri slightly, took an impact when his son became a baseball lover but he was still going to try. "Umm, it's uh..."
He glanced to the shopkeeper who looked amused by the situation, jumping in only when Kuramochi started to pout in impatience. "It's a mitt for catchers my boy."
"Catcher?" Kuramochi echoed the unfamiliar but very heartwarming word with a tilt of his head.
Clearing his throat, Kuramochi watched as his dad started to explain what a catcher is, having done some last-minute research on his phone while the shopkeeper had distracted Kuramochi. "They are the ones that make the game calling during defence. The control towers of baseball if you will."
"Oh!" Eyes sparkling, Kuramochi stared at Raito in awe. "It's so cool that you know something like that dad!"
Banri started to laugh when he saw his son in law's face lit up at Kuramochi's words. Let it be known that Kuramochi Raito was always a sucker for his son's praise. It was a rare thing with him being focused on drawing 24/7.
He took his wallet out and turned to the shopkeeper. "How much for both of them?"
Kuramochi's life alternated between playing baseball with his friends at school, playing catch with his father at home while being scolded by his grandfather and drawing with his mother. It was a stress-free and fulfilling life for him to live during those few years.
Then it struck, his father talked about a business trip in Tokyo where he needed to pass up some documents but all Kuramochi could hear was. "Don't let him go, no matter what you do, make him stay at home!"
It was strange, hearing that tiny voice in his head shouting at him. It was as if his whole body got consumed in pain and realisation, of what, he did not know but he wanted everything to stop. "You-kun, everything okay?"
His mother's warm hand can be felt on his back but all Kuramochi could squeeze out was tears and a plea. "Dad... Please don't go, don't leave me behind..." He looked at his father, desperately wanting him to cooperate, to make the pain satisfied and go away.
Still, he looked hesitant. "It is a big sum of money though Youichi, I can't just leave it..." He bent down, placing his huge hands on Kuramochi's head, a grin coming up on his face. "I'll come back soon, and we can play catch ball again."
"No, he won't, he's a liar. He won't come back, make him stop! DO NOT LET HIM LEAVE US BEHIND!" As the screams in his head grew louder, the sharp pain became a full-blown panic attack.
The fear of death slowly crept up.
"Youichi? Oh no, what's wrong?!" It seems his father caught onto the adverse reaction he was dishing out. The pat on the head becoming worried touches and violent shakes, his grip tightened when he shared a look with his wife.
"Get the doctor, NOW!" Nodding, his mother jumped up and practically flew to the house phone. Her eyes shifting between the phone and her silently weeping son.
It did not take long before the medics entered the room, they took over caring for Kuramochi as they filled Banri in on what has just transpired. It was hard getting him to calm down, at most only the tears refused to stop flowing. "When did the panic attack started?"
Keiko glanced at her child and back at Raito. "When my husband announced to us about his business trip."
"Then maybe you shouldn't go on that business trip, Youichi rarely kicks up such a big fuss. Maybe he sensed something wrong." Banri glared at Raito, wondering what was so hard about making that decision.
"I would not put it that way, Kuramochi Youichi is still just a child. It could be his fear of separation controlling him so I suggest trying to get him used to being away from you for long periods of time. No need to drop everything."
Sighing, Raito pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. "No, I don't think that will be necessary. Maybe Father is right, he was okay with my other trips but this particular one has him spooked for some reason."
"Alright then, would you mind cancelling that trip? We are unsure if your son can handle another attack." The medic wrote down some coping mechanisms Kuramochi could adapt, most of them are breathing exercises though. Keiko accepted them gratefully.
"I guess I will have to, thank you for your time doctor." Raito bowed to the older man, who waved off his gratitude with a smile and words of encouragement on dealing with a spoiled child.
The place got cleared of medical equipment once they deemed Kuramochi stable enough. Keiko immediately swept him into a hug as tears of relief escaped her eyes. "Don't scare me like that ever again!"
"Sorry, Mum..." Kuramochi gave her a weak smile, the pain in his head disappeared into thin air once he heard Raito concede on going for that business trip. Glancing at him, Kuramochi felt guilty, he knew how much was at stake but still reacted in such a childish manner.
"No need to apologise, son, though I can't wrap my head around why you would panic, I know you did not do it on purpose." Raito smiled at him and placed his phone down on the counter. "Besides, nothing was lost. They had a standby prepared in case of an emergency."
"Yeah, maybe you could have double-checked instead of pushing your business trip next time." Banri huffed, he dotes on Kuramochi as much as Raito did and would despise anything that endangered the boy.
Kuramochi, not hearing the whispers of his grandfather, was relieved at that and would have promptly fainted too if it were not for the adrenaline left in his body. "I wanna watch a baseball game." He said, pointing to the television with a pout, knowing that he was too weak to play it physically at the moment.
"Yes yes, my gosh, when did our son turn into such a monster..." Raito said, grabbing the nearby remote and switching it to the baseball channel.
"It's in the genes dear."
"You aren't any different Keiko."
"This is Kusaka Nana reporting live from the scene of the accident. It was made known that a car crash happened just a few hours ago. Unfortunately, nobody has reported alive at the moment. The police are still investigating the accident so stay tuned to the channel for further news coverage on it."
The words from the television were like a cold splash of water on the backs of the Kuramochi family. It had been a week since Kuramochi's attack. Their schedule was packed with family movie nights and baseball matches. Only for it to end and immediately cut into a story about a car crash.
Black Honda Civic car that was reminiscing to the company car Raito owns, the plate number the same but it was now wrecked beyond repair. The location of the crash site was also on route with the pathway to take for the business trip.
With all this information, it was not hard to piece together that Kuramochi could have lost his father at an early age.
"Is it bad that I am suddenly relieved I didn't go for that business trip?" Raito asked, his voice low and soft, from the rampant imagination of what could have happened if he continues to be stubborn about the trip.
Keiko shook her head, a similar mental image surfacing in her mind as her grip of Raito's arm tightened in fear. Wanting that touch to ground her to reality.
Banri was the only one calm in the situation, he continued to eat his meal, only pausing to give his condolences and checking on Kuramochi's reaction to seeing death on the television at such a young age.
As for Kuramochi, he felt like he was some sort of prophet where he hears mysterious voices that stop him from receiving extremely bad karma but for now, he was grateful to have a weird voice in his head.
Raito was called on by the company soon after that news report, to help the family of the departed cope with his death. A role that Raito took seriously, for he was that person's superior and thus, needed to pay his respects properly.
Furthermore, he felt a bit guilty as the only reason that person got caught in the car crash was due to taking up Raito's empty role of delivering and discussing some documents.
They planned their trip to Tokyo, where the family of the deceased lived in. Raito was to go there a week before the rest of them, to settle the family down with the grave news and explanation of the situation before providing a cut for the funeral for the deceased.
Keiko did not want to let Kuramochi experience a funeral at such a young age but Raito felt that it was only appropriate for them all to go. Pay their brief respects at least before leaving. Banri agreed to Raito's reasoning and with a vote of 1 to 2, the family was going on a trip.
Kuramochi on the other hand, could not focus on anything, his childlike mind could understand what death means but he could not emotionally follow up with the knowledge. Thus, just thought about how Tokyo would look like.
They all had their own thoughts and worries over the trip but one thing they all echoed. It was how once they finish their respect paying, it would be best to just go back home. Tokyo travelling would be more appropriate for another time.
Keiko was unsure of how to entertain Kuramochi, most of the time he would be in his own world or be with his father and grandfather playing baseball but now, he could not do any of them. She walks him to school every day but there was no conversations between them, just silence.
She wanted that to change.
It was not like she was uncomfortable or awkward in the silence, she takes pride in being able to communicate with her child despite that silence. However, she does want to help fill the gap Raito left by going on that week-long trip to Tokyo and working at their branch for the time being. Banri was also not helping by leaving Kuramochi up to her to go for his Majong party, "Mother-son bonding" he calls it.
Her nursing instincts started to mix with her motherly one. It was going to be hard, Keiko knows that and she was ready to succeed in being an extrovert or die trying.
It was another day of school for Kuramochi, Keiko cooked breakfast as usual but the lack of Raito kept the place quiet. Glancing at her child, Keiko smiled. "What do you think you are going to learn today?"
"Oh, I think I have... Math, Music and Japanese?" Kuramochi answered, confusion evident in his eyes. Unused to seeing a talkative mother. 'Parents are supposed to talk to their child, it's normal.' He reasoned as he heard Keiko hummed.
She placed a perfectly cooked omelette with rice on Kuramochi's plate and passed it to him. "Hope you have fun in school then." Keiko's eyes met with Kuramochi's and her smile became strained.
'Did I say anything wrong? Oh no, what if my words just cut off any further conversation? I should have asked more about it shouldn't I...' It was hard trying to be Raito, Keiko wondered how did that man say so much with so little shame.
Watching the multiple emotions flying across his mother's face, Kuramochi wondered what he was supposed to do in the situation. "What about Mum? Anything fun going on at work?"
"It's just the same old, though I can tell you that work is getting slightly harder with people not wanting to listen to the doctor's words." Keiko fixed up her meal and sat beside Kuramochi, eyes glancing at him devouring his meal. "What about baseball then?"
Swallowing his last bite, Kuramochi swerved around and looked at Keiko with the brightest eyes she has ever seen him in. "I made it onto the team! A bit sad that I wasn't allowed to be a switch hitter but I can still practice it."
He moved onto more baseball topics with ease, talking about his teammates unable to match up to his speed and how annoying the seniors were when he made it onto the team before them. "Those senpais should just put those bullying time into practising."
'My son is being bullied.' Thunderstruck, Keiko let her hair fall to frame her face as her fist clenched, shaking under the pressure of her anger. "Do you mind telling me who they are?"
Her smile was full of spite and the veins around her face would have made a normal person flee in fear but Kuramochi just shook his head. "No, I can deal with them myself Mum, no need to worry."
He beamed up at Keiko, patting her head while standing up on the shaky chair. Sighing, Keiko could not refuse her son's words and nodded. "If you say so, but once it gets too much, call me."
"Will do Mum!"
It was finally time for them to leave for the funeral, Keiko packed the dark coloured clothes into a carry on bag for the ease of removal while everything else was stuffed into a suitcase.
"Hurry up already Youichi, the train is not going to wait for your slow ass!" Banri shouted -avoiding the hiss of "Language" by his daughter- at his grandson who was waving goodbye to his friends at the gates of the train station.
"Wait, Mum, Grandad! You can't leave me behind!" Kuramochi turned to watch his mother skip away and said his last goodbye to his friends. "Sorry I can't hang out for the weekends, I'll make it up to all of you soon!" He ran to his mother's side as she gave him a smirk.
"I didn't know that you had so many friends You-kun, why don't you ever bring them over?" Kuramochi pouted and walked faster at her teasing, causing Keiko to laugh. "And here I thought you would always be my little shy boy, oh how have you grown."
"Ha, Youichi shy and little? Bratty and noisy is where this kid's at, trying to hide your true colours aren't you." Banri ruffled Kuramochi's hair with a lopsided smile, happy that now he has a teasing companion.
It was good to see that their conversations and interactions have increased during the week. Keiko was now a lot bolder in her teasing which helps Banri increase his poking fun as well, causing Kuramochi to suffer in embarrassment. Something Raito avoids for fear of being hit with a bat.
The whole trip was a blur to Kuramochi, all he knew was how he would never want to go to Tokyo again if it meant he needs to travel for hours before even scratching the outskirts of the city. They met up with Raito at the station as he drove them to the apartment he rented for the week.
Finally, Kuramochi could flop onto the floor and not hit anybody in the knee. It was a small Japanese apartment, part of the dormitories for the workers in Raito's company so they could avoid the rent payment per month and just pay for however long they are staying.
The wooden floor was so inviting, older than the ones at home but that just means they have the charm of being antique. The walls were a plain white compared to the scribbles back at home and the scenery was filled with even more buildings. Everything made Kuramochi feel like this would be his future home should he ever move out, big enough to fit a small family.
"Come on Youichi, you should sleep on the futon and not the floor." Raito said, his voice, something Kuramochi missed hearing as strong arms pulled Kuramochi along the floor to the bedroom. Playing catch ball with an obsessed Kuramochi did wonders to his strength and muscles.
"Lazy..." Kuramochi groaned, his back bouncing along to the bumps on the flooring and soon, got sent flying into a pile of futon with a strong throw. Landing with an 'Oomph', Kuramochi raised his head to glare at his father, the threat effect wearing off when a yawn broke through.
"Rest up now and don't blame me if you get backaches from waking up tomorrow." Raito closed the door to the room and went to focus on his work. Everything was settled but it was best to ensure that contingency plans had contingency plans.
Keiko woke up to a curled up Kuramochi and opened the door to see Raito hunched over the table with food searching Banri. She sighed and went to make Raito's sleep more comfortable, bundling him up with spare futons before working on today's dinner.
"There isn't anything in the fridge Keiko." Banri said, opening the fridge for the fifth time since the evening. Disbelieving, Keiko went to stand beside her father, imagining there to be something to work with. Which was sadly a whole lot of nothing.
Frowning, Keiko grabbed her purse and fixed herself up to go to the nearby supermarket, waving off Banri's shouts of wanting Potato soup.
On the way there, she spotted a child by the riverbed, he was hunched over in the middle of a ring of larger males and without a second thought, she jumped into battle.
"What are you boys doing?" She saw all five of them flinch and cowered when met with the sight of an adult. Pushing past them, she bent down to examine the damage the boy took. It was minor, thankfully but what caught her attention was how there were no tears on his face, just a proud smirk.
'I like his guts... Maybe he would get along with You-kun.' Keiko thought before giving the other boys a glare of warning. "I think you boys should leave now, there is nothing more you need to do here after all... Right?" The edge in her tone made the atmosphere colder.
"Y-Yes!" They scampered away with any further thought, opting to avoid battles they cannot win.
"I think I could have handled them myself, Miss."
Keiko raised an eyebrow at that, unbelieving of his claims but it was a close replica of Kuramochi and his bullies. Though Kuramochi could hold his ground physically, Keiko felt that he needed a bit more resilience before resorting to fistfights. "Is that so, how would you have handled it then?"
She watched as the boy froze up and looked away, causing her to sigh. "You need help in cleaning up those wounds? My house is nearby."
"My daddy told me to never follow strangers though~," The boy said in a sing-song voice. "Besides, I'm used to it by now." He flinched when Keiko picked him up by the waist and panicked when she started to walk off with him tucked under her arm.
"Name's Kuramochi Keiko. I have a loving husband and am a mother to one. My favourite hobby is cooking for my family..."
The boy gave her an incredulous look, his cocky smirk wiped off his face when there was no escape in sight. "Oh god, you are crazy..."
She gave him a Cheshire cat grin at his reaction, it was always fun to tease the young before they grow too mature. "Now, tell me more about yourself, a name drop at least?"
Sighing, the boy crossed his arms mid-air and mumbled out his name, it was a short and sweet one.
"Miyuki Kazuya."