"well it's not really worth mentioning, in fact, I feel kinda pathetic after listening to your troubles. my situation is much better than yours" Ryuu said

"hmm... just say, it'll make you feel better" Megu gave a soothing smile in return.

"I vaguely remember when I was very young, until about 13, my mum has been very caring, very loving towards me and my younger sister. but all of a sudden, she just changed totally. She avoids me deliberately, it feels as though she doesn't even wanna look at me. She acts all different to my sister. I'm getting tired trying to accommodate her hostile behaviour so eventually I stopped trying. we barely had a proper conversation for very long"

"have you tried asking her why she is acting that way?"

"I did, but she always avoids my questions with all sorts of excuses... she's busy, she's stress, et cetera. how to ask her when she don't even show a slightest bit of interest in me. it's worst than a stranger" Ryuu's tons got more agitated by the second, causing Megu to get nervous and concerned as he went on.

"what about the other people? your dad?"

"my dad kept emphasizing that I misunderstood her, but when I probe further he just said when I get older, things would be better. he kept reminding me that I've to try and understand my mum... frankly, here I'm trying hard to understand her, whatever she's facing, but she just shuts herself up from me so how am I supposed to. it's not like I am clueless about my past, but I don't get why she has to treat me like that. why can't she be more like dad, if he can do it, why is so difficult. really, if she doesn't like me, she shouldn't even give birth to me. everything is just stupid."

"relax, Ryuu... you shouldn't think of it that way. no parents will regret giving birth to their child. like your dad said, I'm sure she has her reasons... maybe she's waiting for you to mature"

"yeah right~I'm already 16..." he answered coldly. Megu felt disappointed that she's of no help, only causing him to be more frustrated. 

"sorry, I don't mean to vent it on you. it's just that there's a lot more about me that you don't know. it's very hard to put it across. but thanks Megu, I really appreciate talking with you" he gave her a unreserved smile, so heartwarming that it made her heart flutters badly. She lowered her head shyly and thought of asking more about his life that he's speaking of, but then she recalled that she's of no position to ask him to tell her everything. 

"who the hell do I think I am?" she mumbled to herself.

"huh?" he heard her murmurs but couldn't quite make out what she said.

"ahh nothing /giggles/"

"anyway, lets just sleep... I'll lay on this side, you'll lay on that side... our bags will act as a precaution. is this okay with you?" Ryuu asked considerately. 

"er... hai. but honestly, the precautions are really unnecessary..."

"wow, you trust too easily ne... be careful of your gullible self" he laughed and laid down on his side with his back facing her. 

As he entered his dreamland, rewinding back to about 3 years ago, when he confirmed that his mother no longer care... that fateful day, his 13th birthday... that he never wants to remember again.

He circled his mother hour after hour, from early morning, afternoon, all the way to night. there was no one else at home, just him and his mother. he deliberately woke up in the breaking dawn so that he could enjoy the birthday surprise he believed his mother would have prepared for him. He received one from his dad, a handmade letter from his little sister at midnight. he thought his mother's will come in the next morning, but he waited and waited until night time, still his mother just shut herself in her room, buried in her work.

"okasan" he peeked into the room after his agonizing wait and guesses that his mother might have forgotten his birthday in the midst of her work. When he entered, he saw his mother sniffing as though she was crying at a piece of letter and she quickly stuffed it back into a box upon noticing his entrance.

"what is it?"

"okasan~ you know what day is it today?" he went ahead and clinged onto his mother like a koala. His mother didn't reciprocate the hug, instead answered as if she couldn't be bothered.

"what day?"

her cold response made it awkward for him to reply, but being an innocent 13 year old kid then, he just thickened his skin.

"my birthday, okasan..."

"oh. sorry I forgot."

"it's okay okasan, lets go out and celebrate okay? dad and Akira are out, so we can go together"

Mirai looked at him with deep gazes, pausing for an extended time.

"I'm busy, you go play yourself"

"huh? alone..? okasan, it'll be just a while" Ryuu whined and pulled his mother's arm. To his horror, she shoved him away so forcefully that he fell right on the ground.

Tears jerked out from his eyes, as he tried to recover from his shock. but the hatred was just too much for him to take, that he blurted out without conscious thoughts. "okasan, I hate you!!!" he heard his mother call his name but he was too traumatized to react. the negative energy built up within him from many occasions stretched across recent years was enough to make him break finally. He ran and ran into the streets, until he tripped over a drainage and ended up with a deep cut on his kneecap. till now, no one in the family knew about his injury till today. 

He felt something warm in his eyes, trying to force out from his shut lids. a few droplets escaped, rolling down from the sides of his face. The pain in his heart was unbearable that he unconsciously grabbed hold of what is within reach. Surprisingly he found comfort in the soft, warm, scented entity, and eventually emptied his mind and fell into a deep sleep all the way till the sunrise.

****
"Okasan! otousan! welcome home!" the petite girl ran downstairs to welcome her returning parents. He scooped her on his arms and gave her a tight embrace, followed by a kiss from her mother.

"Akira, you're alone at home? where's your Niichan?" Mirai asked with a worried face.

"Niichan messaged me and told me he has something on in school. he said not to wait for him. he'll be late. he also said don't worry" hearing Akira's response, she felt relieved and he smiled at his wife's reaction.

It was quiet without him by her side yesterday, but tonight, he's right there for her. Mirai wrapped her arms around his waistline and his arms securing her in place with her chin lying right on his chest. 

"aieru" she whispered to him. He smiled happily and left a warm kiss on her forehead. "me too" he said with his soft tone.

Despite so, Mirai's mind is worried about the days without him by her side. she's afraid she'll mess up, she's afraid she'll make things worst. she searched through her tiny brain for a way not to be awkward with her son, or even patch things up. well they never formally quarreled except on his 13th birthday but she knew herself that she owe Ryuu too much. She alienated him, and that's the worst of a mother.

She shut her eyes, hoping that happy memories would take over, and she successfully achieved that.

Hakone Day 2

The weather was comforting, the scenery was still extremely tranquil. Ryosuke and her did almost everything together, from drinking from a single cup, sharing food, touring the flower garden, sightseeing in his opened-roof car, childishly playing with the sand at one of the Hakone beaches, fishing... by night time, they were exhausted.

"Mirai, you know what's the best way to relief the muscle aches?" he wrapped his arm around her neck and pointed forward.

"hot spring!" she immediately got the hint and exclaimed with delight.

The couple undressed separately, with only a towel wrapping around their private parts, for Mirai, from her chest down, while for Ryosuke, from his hips down. Mirai was captivated by his build chest and seductive collarbones that she seemed to be in a trance until Ryosuke snapped his finger in front of her.

"should we go the uni pool or the individual male/female pool?" Ryosuke asked

"individual!" Mirai exclaimed almost immediately, feeling overtly shy if she has to face him in this way for extended period of time. her heart wouldn't be able to take the attractiveness of her boyfriend. 

He smirked as though he has a plan up his sleeves and followed her decision obediently with no objection. 

The 3 pools are arranged in the order of male-mixed-female and each pool is separated by a high concrete wall which cannot be seen through. 

Mirai felt her aching instantly disintegrated as soon as she dipped her body in the hot spring.She leaned against one of the stones and played with the water with her fingers, feeling a light tinkling feeling as the water brushed through her fingers. She's curious about what Ryosuke was doing, she kinda regretted not having to choose the uni pool so that she can cuddle in his embrace, soaking in the pool together with only pieces of cloth covering. the mere thoughts of the clashing of their skins make her embarrassed enough, yet a distracting water splashing sound has to interrupt her.

"Ryosuke!!" she shouted in order to make sure that he's fine, but there's no reply, only the water splashing sound that continued to fill the enclosed hot springs. She began to feel nervous that he might be struggling in the pool, so she hurried towards the other side. But as she was making her way there, she heard a soft in the uni pool.

"Ryosuke??" she lowered her body into the middle pool and started moving towards the dark object in the far end. 

"it's not funny, Ryosuke~ is that you?" she felt adrenaline rush when she got closer to the dark object. suddenly it sprung up and cupped to muffle her screams.

"uwahhhh Ryosuke! you're really detestable sometimes" she grumbled after noticing it was him all along. he did all this to lure her to the uni pool so they could spend time with her. 

"/giggles/ forgive me, Mirai. it's too lonely to soak by ourselves, don't you think?" he bosomed her from the back, tugging her waist with his tough arms and leaning his chin on her shoulder. She caressed his wet hair which brushed against her blushing face. The fact that they were only separated by a piece of cloth was enough for her heart and mind to explode. what's more his upper body wasn't even covered. His backhug was firm and secured, so she eventually relaxed herself.

"Mirai... frankly I'm not looking forward to the day after and onwards. I've seen other patients went through chemotherapy... some of them had hair loss issues, some or almost all vomited on a daily basis, appetite loss was common too, to an extent that they lost so much weight they were beyond recognition. at the end of the day, some of them still die in pain... I just can't imagine all of these to be what I'll face soon. it's too horrible..."

"I think staying happy and positive will help"

"that's what I thought too. but apparently a change of emotions