Keepsake ~ [The Pig Pen]

Keepsake

The carnival was in town, and it looked like everyone in Kanagawa had taken advantage of the holidays to go and enjoy themselves. But amidst the excited crowd and the gay decorations stood a raven-haired boy, scared and all alone. His name was Rukawa Kaede.

He couldn’t have been more than 6 or 7 years old. He was desperately trying to remain calm while looking around for his parents. The poor little guy had apparently gotten lost. Feeling tired, he soon sat down on a nearby bench, baby blues brimming with tears. He wiped a stray tear from his cheek and sniffed loudly.

Suddenly, a bundle of energy materialized from nowhere and plopped down beside him. His fear forgotten, the boy stared curiously at the newcomer.

It was another little boy. But he appeared to be total opposites with Kaede. This one had shockingly bright red hair, liquid brown eyes and a huge, gap-toothed smile on his face. He was also playing with a small, plush basketball.

Kaede was taken by surprise when the boy suddenly turned to him. “Hi! Are you lost?” Reminded of his situation, all he could do was nod gloomily. He turned his attention back to his shoes and decided to ignore the boy beside him. However, the other continued talking.

“I’m lost too! But I’m not scared. Are you?” He turned to Kaede and waited patiently for an answer. When he got none, he shrugged and continued his one-sided conversation.

“I’ve gotten lost many times so I’m not scared anymore. My mom told me that I should just stay in one place and they’ll come looking for me. I wish they’d hurry up and find me. I’m hungry already.”

Kaede glanced sideways at the redhead’s animated face. He wondered how he could be so genki in a predicament like this. Unfortunately, it was Kaede’s first time to get lost so he had no idea what to do. Strangely, the other boy’s endless chatter helped to somewhat soothe him. Kaede found his fear slowly ebbing away.

The redhead turned to him again. “Hey! Do you wanna play with my ball? My dad won it for me. Isn’t it nice?” Kaede just stared blankly as the ball was offered to him. He tentatively reached out a hand and touched the soft, furry surface. Suddenly…

“Hana! Hana! There you are! Thank goodness! We’ve been looking all over for you!” The speaker, a red-haired woman who appeared to be the redheaded boy’s mother, rushed forward and caught the little boy into a tight hug.

The redhead started struggling almost immediately. “Mom! Stop it! You’re embarrassing me!” He scowled at his mother, cheeks slightly flushed.

The woman laughed. “Gomen, Hana-chan. Come on, your tousan and nee-chan’s are waiting for us.” The little boy grabbed her hand happily and they walked away together.

As he watched the two redheads disappear into the crowd, Kaede found himself alone once again. The redheaded boy had found his mother while Kaede was still lost. He studied his shoes once more, envious that the boy was no longer lost and afraid that he himself would not be found. The feeling of anxiety was just creeping back when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

“Here. You can have this. It’ll keep you company while you wait for your parents. Ja!” The plushie basketball was thrust into his hands and, before he could react, the redhead had sped away once more.

Kaede stared at the soft toy in his grasp. He clutched the smooth, furry ball between his fingers. Somehow, he didn’t feel quite so alone anymore.

“Kaede! Kaede! Thank God you’re safe!” The little brunette smiled happily as his mom and dad hugged him tightly.

Kaede was glad that he finally found his family. And they walked off together, one hand grasped tightly in his mother’s, the other still held the keepsake from his redheaded savior. A small smile played around the little boy’s lips.

~*~

Rukawa started when an arm snaked its way around his waist. He turned his head and blew a silent sigh of relief as he recognized the person. “You scared me, do’aho.”

Sakuragi Hanamichi grinned unrepentantly at the other boy. “Never knew you were such a wimp, kitsune.” His grin widened when Rukawa merely gave a small “Hn!” and turned back to watch the waves crashing unto the beach.

It was then that he noticed an object, something squishy and orange, in the brunette’s hand. “Ne, Ru, what’s that?” He tried to snatch the object away but Rukawa quickly moved it out of his reach and stuffed it back into his duffel bag.

“It’s none of your business, do’aho.” He softened the rebuke by dropping a quick kiss on the redhead’s pouted lips. “Come on, it’s getting dark.” Hanamichi shrugged to himself before standing up quickly to catch up to the brunette.

Keepsakes serve to remind us about the people who have made a difference in our lives. But really, Rukawa mused, who needs a keepsake when you can have the real thing? ^_^

~Owari