Beyblade Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth Behind Demons ❯ Brotherly Guide to Japan Living ( Chapter 2 )

Notice: Rei is speaking to his therapist whenever everything is in italics. Okay. That’s about it. Enjoy the chapter sayonara. Fantasy.

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Chapter 2.

"So that's what happened my first day in Japan... I blacked out in my uncles town car." He sighs, fidgeting a moment in his seat. Sometimes he was completely comfortable in the woman's office and other times he just wanted to head for the hills. The youngest Kon child has been attending therapy sessions since his first day of middle school and so far it was a comfort to him. He managed to talk about his feelings with losing his parents, about how it had effected his life to a point of thinking that he may not be able to function right without them.

But thanks to the help of his therapist, Miki Ito, he realizes that what happened to his parents isn't his fault and that he doesn't have to be afraid of change. Rei was happy for the time, but then one day he showed up again... this time he had a new problem, but this one was a lot bigger than his parents death. A LOT bigger, and willingly coming to a therapist without someone asking you to, is a sure sign that this patient is one to listen to.

"So you mean to tell me about when the problem started." Miki says, turning on a tape recorder. "Because you were down about your parents when you were taken away from China, but now... you've been having other problems. What kind of other problems?"

Rei shrugs. "I'm not sure. I just.... I don't know, feel weird. Everyday it feels like the world is about to swallow me whole and there's nothing I can do about it."

"Do you think it could be withdraw?"

"Withdraw?"

"Because of your coping with your parents death?"

Rei looked confused by this. He's never heard of such a thing as 'coping withdraw'. "Iiii'm not sure what you mean?"

"What I mean is, now that your parents are safely in your heart and you've accepted their absence in your life, you're unconsciously seeking out a new problem to fill the void that you're left with."

"....I think that could be it....." He looks at his lap, twiddling his fingers together.

Miki watched this a moment, then sighs. "Do you have anyone in your life now that.... maybe takes away some of that loneliness- like your brother, or your uncle- a friend?"

"No... no.... and maybe."

"Why maybe, who's the maybe?"

"A boy I met.... I really like him. His name is Tyson and," he blushed, trailing off. He wasn't sure what he had to say next was the kind of thing you tell a therapist about yourself. He wasn't even sure he would tell his self that. But he knew one thing was for sure, it was now a part of his 'problem'.

"Rei? You were saying?"

"Uh... I think I should start from the beginning for this one."

.....................

Rei's eyes scrunched before they slowly began to open. Looks like this is starting to become a pattern with me. Some thing was coming into focus, something weird. "Huh?"

A tiny child like voice began to speak when, whatever the object is sees that his eyes are opening. "Oh boy, he's waking up." Something soft touched Rei's cheek. "We thought you'd be out forever. Want some tea?"

Blinking away the blur from his eyes, Rei jumps out of his skin from a little panda bear, dressed in green and gold Chinese garment, planted a kiss on his cheek. "Lee!" He barks seeing his older brother sitting beside him holding the small, palm sized, bear in his hand.

Lee stuck his tongue out with a wink, dropping the bear into his brothers lap. "Hahaha, did I scare you?"

"A little, what-... happened? Where am I?" He looked around at the bedroom he now lay in. It was obvious his brother or uncle carried him into the house after his little dizzy spell.

"In your new bedroom. Do you like it?" He turns his head. The yellow ribbon his brother always wore to tie back his hair showing in the process. For some reason it made Rei smile. He could remember the first time his brother had bought that.

Them and their friends were running around the village playing a game they made up called, 'in the jungle'. The point of the game was to run around in the forest after your friends have hidden themselves in the trees over head, and avoid being hit with nuts, cones, sticks anything the throwers could get their hands on. Stupid game, sure, but they loved to play it. And once you made it to the end of the forest, you win. None of them dodged as good as Lee could, and in the end, he ended up winning a lovely ribbon made of real Chinese silk.

But with the way his brother has changed, Rei thought for sure something as mediocre as a childhood ribbon would be beyond him.

"Uncle Stan thought that you would really like the design." His brother went on with pride for the room in his voice. "He called the decorator the minute he knew you'd be coming." Smiling at his brother, he picks up the little puppet again, using the same child-like voice. "So what do you think?"

Rei looked about the room. Everything was done in reds, white, and black with a gold item here and there. Knowing his uncles money the gold was real. The bed that he had been resting in for.... who knows how long is a low level bed, meaning, it's in the floor. It's round in shape and has a special made blanket to fit its large shape perfectly. The colors are red, black and white pillows; more than one bed needs in Rei's opinion, a red blanket and red sheets. The floor is hardwood and very shiny. It looked like it were just polished this morning.

"And check it out," his brother pressed lightly against the edging of the bed. "Hidden compartments."

"Cool."

"Yeah, but the best part in my opinion is this," standing, he leaves the bed and points at a shelf in the middle of the wall.

"I don't get it, what's so great about that?"

Lee looked at his brother like he'd just punched an old lady and walked on by. "This is a trophy shelf. I had Uncle put it in for you. I figure, being a Kon, it'll take you maybeeee one year of school to fill this out."

Rei shakes his head, sitting completely up. He had perfect posture that wasn't about to be ruined by leaning on his elbows. "I wasn't aware that I'd be joining any teams."

"You've got to bro! It's the Kon way!" Tromping back over to his little brother, feet beating on the floor the whole way, Lee sits on the floor with his feet on the bed. "Remember how Dad won all those Karate medals back home and Mom, she always won things like ribbons and junk for having the best this and that at any sale."

"Ribbons?"

"It doesn't matter Rei, competing and winning is in our blood."

Smiling, Rei shakes his head. "If you say so." Looking around, he furrows a brow. "Where's my luggage?"

"Junpei put it up for you."

Nodding, Rei gets to his feet. "How long have I been out?"

Lee checks his watch. "A good hour or so. Hey, what was that back there anyway?" He touches his brothers hand. "Has that been happening a lot lately?"

What was Lee saying, that he's some kind of fainting princess? "No! Its never happened before."

"Good. Uncle Stan was gonna call the hospital but I talked him out of it... I figured you could walk it off once you got up."

You mean IF I'd gotten up. "Thanks."

"You want the grand tour, or do you think you'll manage on your own."

"I can manage, just tell me where the bathroom is."

Pointing at the exit of the bed room, he replies. "Right out the door, a little to the left."

"Thanks." Walking into the bathroom, Rei closes the door after his self. Fishing around the sash around his waist, he pulls out a red headband with a yin-yang sign sewn onto the front. Heaving a sigh, he clutched the headband to his chest. The boy thought for sure he had accidentally dropped it some place or someone had discovered it and hid it within that new room of his. It belonged to his father. It is the very headband that he wore when he won all of those medals and trophy's Lee was going on about. And to it his mother added the symbol of his country. Rei has loved it ever since his father bestowed it to him and the young boy swore he would never let anything happen to it. After all, this was all he had left of them.

A tear hit his hand. Rei hates crying, he never wanted to show weakness and he wasn't about to start now. Sucking all his nerves in, he stuffed the headband back into his belt. Making sure to dry his eyes, Rei turned on the sink water, splashing some onto his face. Grabbing a towel from the wrack, he dried his face then checked himself in the mirror. Satisfied, he heads from the bathroom finding his brother gone.

Must have gone downstairs. Looking from left to right, he sees a shadow at the end of the hall. Deciding that that is where the stairs are, he walks past a slew of bedrooms all lavishly done up in modern Japanese looks except the heavy carpets draped over the floor, wall to wall. The larger bedroom must be his uncles.

The stairs are wide and turn off at a point. The carving on the banisters are really nice. He always liked spiraled poles. Something about them has a bit of elegance. Lee was not downstairs. But his uncle was. The man smiled at him from behind his tea cup; putting it down he stands and walks over to his nephew.

"Rei, you're awake." He hugs him.

Rei lowers the hand that he had placed up between them. "Where's Lee?"

"Working out upstairs, I imagine." Slipping an arm around the boys shoulder he guides him into the kitchen. "Would you like some tea?"

"Uh... sure." He takes a seat at the table. Watching the tall man from the car milling around the kitchen, Rei wondered if he were the only help his uncle hired.

"There you are, master Raymond." The man says.

"It's just Rei. R-E-I."

Junpei nods. "Very well." Walking away from the young master and his employer, Junpei leaves the kitchen.

"He's a very good man, my boy. You'll learn to love him."

"Learn to?"

The man just makes an audible sound. "I have to work tonight. Your brother will be here for you if you don't wish to come with me."

"Uncle, I'm fourteen. I've been watching myself for months now."

The man waved a pudgy hand. "I know, I know, but in my eyes you're still that little boy from back home."

How would he know, he hasn't lived 'back home' since I was two. Smiling, he nods understandingly. "Uncle?"

"Yes, Rei?"

"Can I go for a walk, I wanna... get familiar with the neighborhood again." Looking into his cup rather than at his uncle, he feels a hefty pat on the back.

"Go right ahead. Would you like Junpei to follow you incase you get lost."

"No thanks. Half the fun of exploring is getting lost, right."

Stan laughs to himself. "Yes, I suppose it is."

Getting up from the chair, he walks to the exit. "I'm gonna get my shoes on." He waved a hand. "I'll try to be back before you leave, okay."

"Mm hmm."

Stepping into his shoes at the door, Rei ponders over changing his clothes. He has been wearing the same thing for what had to be two days. Well there's a no brainer. Stepping out of his shoes again, the young boy hurried upstairs to change.

.........................

Rei walked down the sidewalk, hands in his jeans pockets and head held high. Not like, chin in the air arrogance, but UP, like he's looking at the sky. The birds are different, the air is different. Looking down at the concrete under his feet, he sighs. "But you, are the biggest difference of all."

Sure, China has a mass amount of cities, but, good for the city. He lived in the mountains. Dirt, trees, togetherness. That's what living is about.

"Aahahaha!"

"Haha hee hee hee!!"

Rei turned his head at the sound of two kids laughing about something. Following the clatter of what has to be four individual giggles, he finds himself at a park area. Ha. Haven't been to a park in ages. Walking into the playground, he takes a seat on a near by swing. He didn't feel silly at all. After all, swings are for everybody, right?

The little kids are launching little spinning tops into a dish; Rei recognized this from commercials. It was... Bey... Beytops or something like that. He didn't think it would catch on but, here is a small group of kids who seem to be having a ball and a half with it.

"They're little brats you know." A voice says behind him.

"Huh?"

"All those kids, they're little brats."

The chains to the swing beside Rei jiggle a moment as a boy climbs into it. He's medium hieght, long black hair drawn into a ponytail topped with a baseball cap; but the thing Rei couldn't get over was how adorable he is and what he was doing to his insides. It felt as though his heart were suddenly beating a mile a minute. The Chinese boy was sure that he.... had feelings for men but... well, aside from those weird dreams he keeps having he was sure that he didn't exactly keep them for any other boys just this mystery guy, who may or may not exist.

"Is that so?" Rei finally says to the boys remark.

The boy smiled at him then looked at the very children he was talking about.

"Ha ha. See you around." Jumping from the swing, the mystery boy walked away just as casually as he had come.

Rei watched his every move. What a... weird guy. He didn't take his eyes off of him.

...................

Rei's watch began to beep. Shaking off the past events, he looks at his therapist. "I guess my segments over."

"But, you didn't explain why Tyson is so important to you." Says Miki.

"Um," he stands. "I guess I'll have to tell you another time then. I have to work today." Picking up his jacket, he folds it over his arm then crosses the room to the woman and gives her a hug. "Bye Miki."

"Bye, sweet heart."

Leaving the room, Rei strolls down the hall of the building to the elevator. Once on, he presses the button for the lobby and waits for it to carry him down to the first floor from the fourth. Glad to be alone; Rei pulls a bottle out of his pants pocket, pops the lid and shakes out a pill into his hand. Tossing it into his mouth, he swallows it quickly just as the elevator opens. Stepping off, he heads for the water fountain and takes a big gulp. Satisfied with the amount of water he's taken, he resets his watch to beep again four hours later.

"See you later, Rei."

He waves to the man at the front desk. "Bye."

The large glass doors push open as he makes his exit. Turning the corner at the building, he stands at the bus stop to wait for the one that's heading uptown. Loud J-rap is the first thing he hears before a familiar red car pulls up beside him.

"Lee?"

"Come on, Bro. I'll take you to work."

Hesitant, he walks over to the car then climbs in. Looking at the building with a shake of his head, Lee then starts off. "I don't know why you need therapy, Rei." His little brother looks at him. "No Kon has ever needed therapy."

He shrugs. "There's a first time for everything." Looking into the back seat of the convertible, he frowns. "Did you bring my uniform?"

"Yeah, it must have fallen to the floor, but don't worry it's covered."

"Oh."

Smiling at his brother, Lee pats him on the shoulder. "Learn to relax Rei," he presses down on the gas. "Just relax."

Relax? Thinks the boy. Who can relax when he's driving?