Homecoming “Hinata Sou…” She stood there, the calm summer breeze blowing the long, black strands of her hair around. She put down her large suitcase, her eyes staring at the old but still elegant structuring of the old inn. She adjusted her black, double-breasted suit jacket and stood perfectly still, feeling the memories come back to her with the ferocity of a raging torrent but with the serene calm induced by listening to a babbling brook. She loosened the black necktie around her neck; she didn’t need to appear so formal in this place. She pulled out a piece of paper from the pockets of her black pants, a smile calmly forming on her pale lips. Many memories, both sad and happy, came to her mind and if she were given the choice to have lived the years she spent there somewhere else, she would refuse it in a heartbeat. Not for anything would she trade her memories in this old, magical place. It was, is and always will be her one and only true home. “Even after being abandoned for three years, you’re as beautiful as ever, old friend.” She ran her hands along the wooden walls which had gathered more than their fair share of dust in those years. She would never have believed the news that Hinata Sou’s residents had left this place one by one, it wasn’t possible. Of course, among them, she was the first to go. She left without a word, not wanting to hurt herself or anyone who could possibly care if she left. In a matter of months, she found herself serving under the kaisho of the Kamakura, the largest yakuza group in the world, with operations that ranged from local cities like Kyoto and Tokyo to as far as Europe, Russia and the Americas. She had served as both chief bodyguard and personal secretary to the kaisho but secretly, she was also an informant for several governments that wanted her boss in prison and a few rival yakuza gangs as well. She set up her kaisho’s downfall four years ago and up to now, the remnants of the Kamakura think it was someone else that did it. As she was about to enter her old home, a home which she had brought using the modest pay she received from the various governments and yakuza gangs she had betrayed the Kamakura to, something bumped her from behind with enough force to knock her down to one knee. She readied her hand to attack whoever it was that knocked her down, it was a reflex action she developed during her years in the Kamakura, defending her kaisho against assassins the likes of which she didn’t think existed anymore. As her brown eyes, filled with many years worth of angst and sorrow over the self-imposed misery she had lived through, she saw a sight she didn’t expect. It was a child, a young boy to be precise, with short, neatly trimmed blue hair. It reminded her of a bright spot on the dark, shadowy web that was her memories. She knew of only one person that had blue hair among everyone she had ever met, and she had met a lot of people. “Blue hair…” she muttered to herself. “Is this boy her son?” “Shinji-kun, where are you?” a voice called out for the boy. “Sorry, miss. I didn’t mean to bump into you like that.” The boy apologized with a bow as he turned around to answer the one calling. “I’m here, mama!” The woman in the all black business suit could hear footsteps running up those cement stairs she had come to know so well. All too well, she sometimes thought. During those long, late nights while she watched her former kaisho seal deals in Colombia, Russia, Italy and more locations around the world, she often found her mind wandering and envisioning those steps in excruciating detail, down to even the smallest cracks. Then, while she began to dust off her clothes, she saw the woman who was coming for the boy. The figure was lovely, the small waist, the luscious hips and the chest that was perfectly sized. For some reason, she couldn’t really see the face clearly of whomever it was she was looking at. She put her glasses on as the woman came closer, despite the fact that she didn’t need them. They were used simply for aesthetic purposes. Then, in a moment, she recognized the boy’s mother and she fell silent. “It can’t be…” the other woman stammered. “Sh-Shinobu-chan…” “Kanako-san…” Both of them stood still for what must have been several minutes, causing the boy Shinji to stare up at the two of them. So many memories ran through both their minds, so many moments when they would unexpectedly find themselves alone in Hinata Sou with nothing to do but talk and no one to talk to but each other. Suddenly, Kanako’s stoic position and stone cold stare changed. Her brown eyes changed to reflect the permanent brightness of Shinobu’s blue eyes and her ever-present, irrepressibly lovable smile. Neither of them wanted to speak at all as neither of them could find any words to speak to one another. Finally, Kanako noticed Shinobu’s son tugging at his mother’s long, dark blue skirt. The woman in black eyed the confused and inquisitive look on the child’s face as two familiar animals came flying in their direction. One was the hot spring turtle, Tama-chan and the other was her former cat, Kuro. “Mama, who is she?” the boy asked. “Shinji-kun…this is one of the many friends I had when I lived in this place. This is Kanako-san.” Shinobu said as she bent down to kiss the child on the forehead. “Run along to aunt Miho now. Mama and Kanako-san have some catching up to do.” “Okay, mama.” He answered. As the boy began to run down the steps, Kanako placed her hands in her pockets in a very masculine manner. Years in the yakuza had almost completely eaten away at any feminine mannerisms she had when she came in. With a sweet smile that Kanako remembered so well, Shinobu looked at her as they both silently agreed to walk out to what used to be Hinata Sou’s hot springs. Shinobu caught Kanako looking at her with those adorable brown eyes, eyes that she once stared into for a moment, gaining an understanding of the wicked mind of Urashima Kanako. Maybe it was the years away from one another; maybe it was because they were the only residents of Hinata Sou to have been there on that day, for whatever reason, they felt like old friends even though they weren’t. Kanako removed her hands from her pockets, adjusted her glasses along her nose and sat down on one of the large rocks. “I would never have thought you’d develop an eye problem, Kanako-san.” Shinobu said, starting the conversation as she pointed at Kanako’s glasses. “You always had perfect vision.” “They’re just for aesthetic purposes. Trying to look intelligent and all that.” Kanako answered with her trademark grimace. “Well, they look good on you.” Shinobu then noticed the black hair cascading along Kanako’s back. “You don’t tie your hair anymore, I see. It suits you, strangely.” “Being a mother suits you.” Kanako looked at Shinobu, trying her best to show a smile but she couldn’t. It felt like she had lost her smile years ago. “So, who is his father?” “Shinji-kun’s not really my son. He’s my older sister, Miho’s. He’s lived with me most of his life though so I’m more of a mother to him than Miho-chan is.” Shinobu explained. “I’m not even engaged.” “Interesting...” Kanako thought to herself before speaking. “So…how has life been treating you all these years? What have the others been up to?” “Remember my family’s old restaurant? Miho and I turned it into a café about a year ago. Let’s talk there.” End Prologue
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