Enter Tsutomu

12

saitou-thinksSaitou:
We finally get to our destination and I can see Eiji waving at us as we are let off the carriage. So he really did come?EUR? And Tokio let him.
I pay the driver and carry both of our belongings, stepping in front of Hide as we go on the waiting area by the platform.
?EURoeHere Eiji, you take a look at the baggages while I get us seats.?EUR? He bows as a greeting and takes our bags settling it beside theirs.
I look at Tsutomu and smile slightly at him. I would touch him but I know him well. It would only make him cross. I look at him, he?EUR(TM)s almost 13 but he looks older and acts even older than that, he?EUR(TM)s been forced to grow up quickly. If a stranger were to guess, they?EUR(TM)d say he and Eiji were only a couple of years apart at most.
I stand beside Hide. ?EURoeThis is Yagi Hide. She?EUR(TM)s from Kyoto, an old friend of mine.?EUR? I say by way of introduction. But he knows already that she is more than that so I add, ?EURoeI am staying with her and your sister in Tokyo.?EUR? It?EUR(TM)s best that there are no surprises and that Hide doesn?EUR(TM)t have to explain anything to him.
84Tsutomu:
I look her over. So this is the other woman whom he left us for. She?EUR(TM)s rather plain, not much to look at. I would?EUR(TM)ve thought my father would?EUR(TM)ve at least chosen a woman of great beauty or elegant bearing or maybe great means. I keep my expression blank and bow ?EUR�respectfully- as I?EUR(TM)ve been trained to do.
?EURoeIt?EUR(TM)s ?EURoegood?EUR? to finally meet you Yagi-san.?EUR? Woman who ruins lives.
I smile slightly at her. I am after all brought up to be civilized, father would want no other and certainly mother would be ?EUR�proud-.
saitou-smoke-iconSaitou:
Tsutomu seems to be behaving, at least he didn?EUR(TM)t scowl. It gives me a slight hope that maybe him staying with us might not be as ill conceived as I thought it to be. It is necessary after all. I go on ahead to talk to the conductor about seating arrangements. I should also think about refreshments in case someone gets thirsty during the trip.

aizu

Hajime

12 thoughts on “Enter Tsutomu”

  1. I bow in return to Tsutomu’s greeting. Thankfully, he’s being very polite, but I see something flash in his eyes.
    “I’m glad to meet you as well, Tsutomu-kun,” I answer with a smile.
    Tsutomu-kun must resemble his mother’s family in looks – but in that stiff pride that comes from pain I’ve seen somewhere else. I’ve known that look so well from his father.
    An old woman with a basket comes up to us. “For your trip, I have onigiri and beika – they all travel well.” She shows us the basket, and I look towards Hajime, but he’s talking to the conductor.
    “Tsutomu-kun, what would you and Eiji-kun like?” I smile over at him. “Some crackers, and we can get some ekiben as well? We won’t be home until late.”

  2. Tsutomu:
    What does she think of me a child? Bribing me with food? I would scoff but I remember my manners, so instead I keep quiet.
    Eiji-niisan answers for us both. “Ekiben! We should get those too.”
    I sigh, I wasn’t hungry. “Just for him please. Onigiri is good enough for me.”
    Saitou:
    When I return I see them huddling around an old woman with a basketful of food. With all the events the previous day and preparing for Ojii-san I suppose we had not had time to prepare for the return trip back. I let them finish up with the vendor since I wouldn’t want anything for myself. I put the jug full of water to the side, thankful that I remembered to take a couple of wooden cups before we left. It seems Hide and I will share one cup so will Eiji and Tsutomu. Talk about being ill prepared. I sigh and light a cigarette staying a few feet away from them. I watch Tsutomu closely however just in case.

  3. I notice Tsutomu’s sigh. This can’t be easy for him.
    I purchase the onigiri, along with ekiben for myself and Eiji. Hajime can share from my ekiben – these things are a little overstuffed – or have some riceballs. “I hope we’ll be home in time for me to make a proper dinner for everyone.” I tell them both.
    Eiji-kun… I’m glad he’s here, but certainly he won’t be around for long. He certainly must have to go back to the Army soon – and I’ll miss him. He has a good head on his shoulder and he could be a good influence on Tsutomu-kun.
    Hajime seems to have arranged water. I’m glad he thought of that. As I go over to him where he smokes, the whistle of the train blows.
    “Do we all have seats together?” I ask.

  4. Eiji:
    Tsutomu sighs and I want to tell him not to do that. It was rude to Yagi-san. Yagi-san moves away and I consider saying something to Tsutomu, but it will already be a long ride and it?EUR(TM)s too early to get everything started on a sour note so I refrain.
    ?EURoeDoes he still have the room at the machiya??EUR? he asks, taking me by surprise.
    ?EURoeYes that?EUR(TM)s where I?EUR(TM)m staying.?EUR? I say and he for once I see him lighten up a bit.
    ?EURoeOh good.?EUR? He looks at me, ?EURoeI can stay with you then.?EUR?
    ?EURoeThere??EUR?
    ?EURoeYes of course.?EUR?
    ?EURoeI don?EUR(TM)t know Tomu. I?EUR(TM)m sure Otou-san would not like that.?EUR?
    ?EURoeOh he wouldn?EUR(TM)t care and neither will that woman.?EUR? He turns to look at them and the expression on his face changes to something more disagreeable as he mutters. ?EURoeIt?EUR(TM)s probably more convenient for them both.?EUR?
    ?EURoeTomu?EUR? I think we should talk about that to Otou-san later.?EUR?
    He shrugs and picks up his bag.
    (OOC: Since Saitou is a few feet away and the station is a little noisy, I doubt all of their conversation can be heard. Tomu?EUR(TM)s muttering is definitely not audible and the last few sentences is drowned by the whistle.)
    Saitou:
    Hide comes and I finish my cigarette. I take the jug of water as well.
    ?EURoeDo we all have seats together??EUR?
    ?EURoeYes, the conductor was easy to deal with.?EUR? I grin slightly at her. I was about to take her hand but then I spy Tsutomu with a ?EUR“look- on his face. Besides this probably isn?EUR(TM)t the time as the train is already calling and there are a lot of people milling about.
    ?EURoeI?EUR(TM)ll sit beside Tsutomu.?EUR? I tell her. ?EURoeYou should sit by the window with Eiji, enjoy the view.?EUR?

  5. I notice Eiji and Tsutomu speaking, and the change in his expression, from a little bit of happiness to something much more closed off. It’s to be expected – I’m sure this is a great deal for such a young man to handle.
    I?EUR(TM)ll sit beside Tsutomu. You should sit by the window with Eiji, enjoy the view.”
    I nod. This won’t be the same cozy ride that it was on the way up, with us sleeping against each other. Thankfully I brought enough work to keep my hands occupied.
    But we will make time for such things later. For now, it’s about Hajime and Tsutomu.
    Hajime helps me on board, and find our seats, and I take mine by the window. It is fascinating to see this place that I had heard so much of during the war.

  6. The train ride is at least not bad, at worst it was uneventful. Tsutomu keeps his eyes fixed outside the window stubbornly not looking at us. I?EUR(TM)m concerned about him straining his neck so I speak to him.
    ?EURoeI met with a friend of yours that you used to walk to school with. I can?EUR(TM)t remember his name but when you get back, maybe you can walk with him again to school.?EUR?
    ?EURoeHn??EUR? He doesn?EUR(TM)t turn. ?EURoeI don?EUR(TM)t need anyone to walk to school with.?EUR?
    ?EURoeWell it would be better if someone were to walk with you.?EUR?
    ?EURoeI can walk with you Tsutomu.?EUR?
    Eiji offers and finally my stubborn son turns to him. Well at least he did turn that neck of his. How many hours has it been that he?EUR(TM)s not moved?
    ?EURoeI can manage. Eiji-nii it?EUR(TM)s been years since you walked me remember? And after haha-ue stopped teaching more than 6 months ago, I?EUR(TM)m the one who took Yoshi to school.?EUR?
    I narrow my eyes slightly at that. I had thought after Tokio quit teaching only a couple of months ago. ?EURoeSo you started taking him in June??EUR? I ask.
    ?EURoeIt was -July-.?EUR? He stares at me as if he wants to tell me something but I already know even if he doesn?EUR(TM)t finish what it is.
    I say nothing afterwards thinking about a time back then, in the wilderness when my boys was left alone by their mother with some strangers. That never sat well with me but I never had the opportunity to speak to her about it. It was my fault then and I suppose now as well. After all it seems she left the school after that incident that Saya witnessed.
    I don?EUR(TM)t say much after and just watch as Hide pre-occupies her hand with busy work. Did I ever tell her about that? Probably not, I was too afraid maybe, after all even I am appalled at myself for that.

  7. As I work on my stitching, I listen to Hajime try to have a conversation with Tsutomu. He’s trying.
    I listen, trying to piece together the timeline. All of this was happening as Hajime started visiting us in Ito… last summer already feels like it was a long time ago.
    “Tsutomu-kun, I take Makoto in the mornings, you can come with us.” I grin a little, “when my brothers were your age they wouldn’t want to be seen with a sister in tow, but I’d like it if you walked at least -near- us.” They let out at different times in the afternoon, but perhaps then he can walk with a friend.
    I notice it’s already mid-day, and I unwrap the food and pass it around. “Hajime, Tsutomu-kun, if you want more than riceballs, please have some of the ekiben. They’re rather large.” I offer out my box.

  8. ?EURoeTsutomu-kun, I take Makoto in the mornings, you can come with us.?EUR? ?EURoewhen my brothers were your age they wouldn?EUR(TM)t want to be seen with a sister in tow, but I?EUR(TM)d like it if you walked at least -near- us.?EUR?
    ?EURoeNo. I can walk alone or with Eiji-nii-san.?EUR? My head snaps towards my son, the way he said that highly displeased me. ?EURoeSomeone I know might see ?EUR“you-.?EUR?
    ?EURoeTsutomu!?EUR? I glare at him. I can?EUR(TM)t have him talking like ?EUR“that-. ?EURoeWe?EUR(TM)ll discuss this ?EUR“later-.?EUR?
    I take the Ekiben from Hide and try to give it to him but I get a mumble of ?EURoeNo thanks.?EUR?
    I take a piece of the Inari and a pickle and quickly eating it. Handing it back to Hide, ?EURoeYou should eat it. We?EUR(TM)re still a few hours to go.?EUR?
    To Tsutomu I hand him the Onigiri but he ended up just holding it and looking out the window. I sigh and stand up. He won?EUR(TM)t eat it if he knows I?EUR(TM)m looking. I might as well have a smoke at the end of the train.
    My idiot son of mine?EUR? To say something like that. Yet can I really blame him?
    (OOC: Saitou makes his way to the end of the carriage. You can progress if you like)

  9. No. I can walk alone or with Eiji-nii-san. Someone I know might see ?EUR“you-.
    I nod and smile. “Boys your age usually don’t want to be seen as being -walked- anywhere.” I focus my smile on him. I -know- what he means, but I think there’s a lot more of this to come. It’s terribly disrespectful but the best I can do is remain friendly and unruffled.
    Which is easier for me than Hajime. I crane my neck back to look at him, smoking.
    “Well, walk with us the first day to learn the way, or your father can make you a map. We live at a different part of Tokyo than you did, but not far from the school.”
    I leave Tsutomu-kun to his riceballs, and turn to Eiji. “Eiji-kun, how is your ekiben?” I laugh a little, “it’s a lot of food to me, but I imagine the Army keeps you busy enough to be hungry.”

  10. Eiji: Otou-san leaves. I wish that he wouldn?EUR(TM)t this isn?EUR(TM)t the time to let Tsutomu do as he wishes. I watch as Yagi-san tries to brush off the insult. I?EUR(TM)m sure she knows, it was very obvious what Tsutomu meant. And I know he meant every word of it.
    ?EURoeWell, walk with us the first day to learn the way, or your father can make you a map. We live at a different part of Tokyo than you did, but not far from the school.?EUR?
    Tsutomu doesn?EUR(TM)t answer so I answer for him. ?EURoeI know the area quite well. I?EUR(TM)ll walk with you a few times.?EUR? I hope Yagi-san drops this subject and ?EUR“soon-.
    ?EURoeEiji-kun, how is your ekiben??EUR? I laugh a little, ?EURoeit?EUR(TM)s a lot of food to me, but I imagine the Army keeps you busy enough to be hungry.?EUR?
    ?EURoeYes they keep us busy.?EUR? I don?EUR(TM)t tell her the rations are not that great. In fact I?EUR(TM)ve learned how to eat simply. ?EURoeThis is actually quite a feast.?EUR? Well not quite the feast Yagi-san prepares in her home.
    Hajime: I watch as the view of Bandai mountain recedes in the distance. The challenge related to Aizu can wait, but the one inside this train can?EUR(TM)t. He is untenable at best. I take a deep drag on my cigarette. He?EUR(TM)s obviously silently rejecting Hide as I expected but what about his sister? My eyes narrow, remembering that little girl waiting for me back home. Will he resent her too? I wouldn?EUR(TM)t be surprised.
    ?EUR?Chichi-ue, will you come watch the Kendo finals? I know it?EUR(TM)s the Hanami but can you please come? ?EURoe
    ?EURoeIt?EUR(TM)s in the evening right? I will try to make it.?EUR? It?EUR(TM)s been a few years since that time, I should stop lingering by that Sakura tree. Nothing good will come out of it.
    ?EURoeDon?EUR(TM)t try Chichi-ue. Just make sure you ?EUR“come-.?EUR? He holds up his shinai and points it at me. I grin just a little and catch the tip.
    ?EURoeOh, aren?EUR(TM)t you getting a little too confident for your own good??EUR?
    ?EURoeEhh? But a man is always prepared!?EUR?
    ?EURoeHe is also well groomed. Go wash up inside.?EUR?
    He blows on his hair, pretending to be exasperated. I try to smile at him but trying to do so has been such a chore. Is this how life is now? I still have my sons?EUR? They deserve better. I stand up from the engawa and toss the cigarette butt in a wet can. Hopefully Tokio doesn?EUR(TM)t find it.
    I peer back to where Tsutomu is sitting and I see his back. He was head strong but he was a child who knew right from wrong. He was a good son. I finish the cigarette and return back to my seat. Hide and Eiji are talking about food, while I see Tsutomu is close to finishing his rice ball. I sit down beside him.
    (OOC: feel free to move them along. Saitou and Tsutomu is likely to shut up for the rest of the trip. FYI there is still one more post I have to make about Yukiko/kinnosuke/makoto at the school which is the same day as this trip.)

  11. I know the area quite well. I?EUR(TM)ll walk with you a few times.
    I nod. That’s fine. He came here for his education, and I wouldn’t want that hindered.
    Eiji mentions his army rations, I’m sure they’re adequate, if nothing else. Perhaps family are allowed to send care packages? Maybe even Tsutomu would be interested in helping that.
    After eating, everyone is quiet, and I resume working on my needlework. The afternoon stretches on, but before too long we’re nearing the outskirts of Tokyo. I perk up. I’ve missed my home, I’ve missed my little girl.

  12. Eiji: Tokyo at night is only second to Osaka. At the train station, there were many lamps burning and it looked like daylight. The train pulls into the station and I can hear the pressure release from the train joints. Otou-san is checking our luggage to make sure it’s complete and I stand up and lightly shake Tsutomu.
    “We’re here at least.” I say and grin slightly at him. I want him to see a smiling face. I mean it’s better than a frowning face like Otou-san and I doubt that Yagi-san’s always smiling disposition would make Tsutomu happy at all. “Here take your bag.” I say partially blocking the view of Otou-san helping Yagi-san out to the main aisle. But Tsutomu still looks groggy and I ended up taking his back and pulling him out of his seat.
    “Eiji-nii… How far do we still have to go?”
    “Not that far. Just one more ride.” If he was younger I’d carry him but he’s not that small anymore.
    As we get off the train, I see Otou-san wave at us. He’s standing by a carriage and I think Yagi-san is already in it. That was quick. Well Aizu and Tokyo are miles apart in transportation choices.
    (OOC: YOu can jump to the latest thread posted by Kinnosuke or reply here.)

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