Chapter Text
This will be the First Installment Series.
Four different stories in Parallel Universe of Ryosaku.
*Summer's Dream
*Winter's Solace
*Spring of Memories
* Autumn's Embrace
Foreword
"Maybe in parallel universe,
We didn't give up on us"
-Parul Nigram
I always admire the summer sun. The warmth of brilliant rays giving vibrant colors, from different shades and strokes of hues like a perfect bright and lively canvas.
The scorching heat, giving me undeniably tinggling feeling inside.
Blue hues like waters in the skies, white cotton ball clouds dancing in the breeze of morning air and bright yellow rays giving a light and sunny ambiance that gently touches my heart and softly brushes to my core making me smile.
The warm feeling I felt during this season, reminds me so much of freedom.
Summer is the only season that kids can freely enjoy themselves. Outside the dusky, dusty and heat, children's resounding laughter while running around under the sun, their shadows dancing along them, and birds chirpping like singing an orchestrated sound.
I recalled all the good memories I had during summer since I was a little child, from learning how to fly a kite, climbing trees and even swimming in the vast of sea. Having the same smell of dust in my whole body while playing outside, singing in out tune voice and even playing until the sun was already set in the sky. To came back home so messy and full of muds.
With my grandma waiting for me with all smiles
That despite having nothing in life, at my merely age, I learned to appreciate little things and be thankful for whatever I had.
Perhaps, that's the reason why despite the prickly and scorching heat whenever this season coming, I never really care. For me summer is the only season of happiness.
"Obaachan, I will visit Nanako-neechan!" I said with huge bright smile on my face.
Almost a year after we moved here in Tokyo, I found myself being so close in our neighbor, The Echizen's family. Aunt Rinko, who was a lawyer is a very sweet motherly like to me. She was living with her husband, a former tennis pro, uncle Nanjirou. Though he is a bit weird, he was really nice to me and of course her niece, Nanako neechan, during this day, Sunday; she always teach me how to bake some goods.
Neechan once told me, she had two younger male cousins living abroad, reaching their own dreams. Although I wasn't really curious on Aunt's Rinko sons, I always heard some stories about them, yet not paying attention at all.
"Sakuno, bring some stew for them. I'm sure Rinko will love that"
"Haiii!"
Before meeting them, we are living a simple life somewhere in Hokkaido.
We are not well-off. Though obaachan had some land to crops it still not that huge amount in terms of income. We are only living in mediocre only to sustain our daily needs. And since my grandma refused any help to my parents. She shouldered everything I needed.
I was living alone with my grandma ever since I was a child. My parents who decided to parted ways even before I came out on this world. Their short lived romance , only a spur of the moment love affair during teenage days of their lives, didn't last. And since none of them wanted to take me in, despite my mother being my grandma's only daughter, afraid of responsibilities since they are only struggling on their lives. Both of them didn't want me. And only my grandma encourage my kaasan to have me, and since then, obaachan took care of me. And now, they had their own family of their owned.
I was really glad my grandma did, for me, my grandma was enough to me. I am grateful that despite not being part of neither my father nor mother's family, I have her. She loves me more than the love I ever received from my parents. She was my only family.
My grandma is a tennis coach as well as teacher. Since she has this great passion and love for the tennis sports, she often receive invitation to be a tennis coach in numerous private school.
And for a year now, she was the tennis coach of Men's tennis High School team were I was the acting manager for them.
I was in my first year high school, and today is the start of our summer season.
Living here in Tokyo wasn't bad at all. I have some few friends, and really close with obaachan's team which became like a brothers to me.
Humming inside the backyard of the Echizens' I noticed how the absence of usual noises coming from Uncle Nanjirou.
It was kind of weird since at this time, I always heard his loud voice fighting over with their pet cat, Karupin.
"Hello!!!! Nanako-neechan!" I shouted.
"Oh! Sakuno-chan, your here!" Aunt Rinko smile.
I smiled back, she always had this warm aura and affectionate eyes on me. I was really happy to met them.
"Aunt! Here! Obaachan cook a stew." I handed her a pot of stew my obaachan made.
"Thank you dear," she smiled.
"Uhmm..I was looking for neechan!" I smiled once again.
"Oh! Nanako is in the temple garden, just go there and sure she was waiting for you" Aunt Rinko smiled again.
I smiled once again before resuming to walk on their garden, as I ascend on their stone staircase towards the temple garden, I hummed happily. On how they build a temple in upmost part it's still a bit mystery to me.
My eyes automatically shifted in vast of different flowers in their garden. Aunt Rinko and Nanako-neechan are surely loved to plants like me.
Whenever aunt Rinko wasn't busy, she teach me how to properly take care some different varies of plants.
As I looked around looking for Nanako-neechan, yet, not even her shadows can be found.
I settled crouching down in the huge Sakura tree; my head lift up seeing how tempting to climb in the huge and thick branches of this tree.
Fascinated on how marvelous and beautiful the scenery above this, I made up my mind to know. I was so curious.
I stood up from sitting and dusted myself. And look for possible branches I can hold to support myself in climbing. Seeing that I can possibly do it, I hold for the nearest thick branch and started climbing up.
It's been a year since the last time I climbed up on the tree, however, I am pretty sure that my skills in climbing is not rusty at all.
Slowly yet carefully, I manage myself to climb up to the middle, just little more and finally I can reach the top. Giving all of my concentration at once, I took the another branch to reach
"Oi! What are you doing?"
Surprised from the voice I heard, I missed holding the branch. And everything happens so fast, my feet slips making me lost balance at all, my heart made a wildly thumping inside my chest as I gasps audibly feeling the tightness in my lungs, I closed my eyes as I felt the gravity of the ground seems so much excited, pulling me down to meet and kissed me flatly on the ground.
thud!
However ... I was expecting to landed on the ground and yet....
Eyes widening on how I landed on top of him, our eyes found each others mirroring the same shocked, his captivating golden irises I saw for the first time and what's more shocking was when our lips perfectly meet.
And just like that, our first summer begins...
To be continued...