| Fan Fiction |
by Phoebe a.k.a Phebs
Suddenly, the door swings open and Aya jumped a little in startled seeing Jaejoong standing before her.
“Kazuki… Ohayou! (Good morning!)” Aya tried to sound cheerful.
“Ohayou…” Jaejoong’s tone was gentle but not welcoming.
Aya stepped backward a little as Jaejoong strides passed her. She clenched her fist tightly on both sides and looks up at Jaejoong’s back slowly leaving her.
“Kazuki!!” Aya startled herself from her sudden raised of voice, but it definitely caught Jaejoong’s attention as he looks at her over his shoulder.
“Erm… that is…” Her old habit came back as she fiddles her fingers nervously together.
“Are you free this afternoon? Can you accompany me somewhere?” She finally said it, although her voice slowly turned down to a mumble.
“Sure… I am free.” Came Jaejoong’s reply.
“Really?” Aya almost can’t believe her ears but Jaejoong nodded this time with a mild smile.
“Well, then it’s agreed!” When Jaejoong turned away and left, Aya too turned away heading to her room.
“Yay!” She squealed happily to herself, withholding her urge to jump up. She didn’t notice Jaejoong sneaked a quick glance at her over his shoulder. Seeing her reaction, the corners of his lips unexpectedly curved up slightly.
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Jaejoong stares up at the old building they arrived at, wondering what they were doing there. Aya looked back and saw Jaejoong halted there spacing out.
“Kazuki, what’s wrong? Let’s go!”
She walks to his side and grabbed hold of his hand, leading him into the building. His feet was dragging, seeming reluctant to enter. He glanced down at the box Aya asked him to hold, wondering what could be inside.
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“Aya-chan!” An elderly lady pats Aya’s cheeks lightly before giving both cheeks a squeeze.
“Nice to see you again, Nakano-san.” Aya smiled widely at the elderly lady.
Jaejoong placed the box he held onto a table nearby and crossed his hands upon his chest as he watches the elderly men and ladies gathered around Aya; all seemingly taking turns to touch her hands, caress her hair and pinch her cheeks like she was a little girl. The scene before him caused him to unexpectedly let out a muffled laugh or two.
“Who are you, young man?” Jaejoong snapped from his daze and looks at the elderly lady standing beside him staring at him curiously.
“I…”
“Ohara-san, there you are.” Jaejoong uttered a brief sigh of relief as Aya came to his rescue.
“Aya-chan, who is this young man?” The elderly lady arched one eyebrow at Aya.
“This is Uemura Kazuki. Kazuki, this is Ohara-san.” Aya directed her hand to Kazuki then to Ohara-san. Kazuki bows slightly to Ohara-san with a light smile.
Ohara-san starts pulling at Aya’s hand and Aya lowered her head to her.
“Is this your boyfriend, Aya-chan? He is quite good-looking.” Ohara-san whispered into Aya’s ears.
“Ohara-san…” Aya whined softly to Ohara-san.
“Look at you blushing…” Ohara-san reached her hand to squeeze Aya’s cheek. Aya pulled back up straight with her hands placed on both her cheeks, feeling it burning up.
“Are you okay, Aya?” Jaejoong asked, peeping down on Aya persistently using her back to shelter her blush.
Just then, Aya’s sudden twirl to face Jaejoong startled Jaejoong as he moved backward with a slight stumble.
“Why won’t I be fine? Come on! I had the whole afternoon activities planned out already.” She shows her brightest smile and starts dragging Jaejoong to the crowd of elderly men and ladies.
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Aya had prepared a variety of activities for the whole day in the old folks house ranging from sing-alongs to story telling of some interesting tale in the elderly seniors life. Laughter filled the whole place and it even spread its magic to Jaejoong, smiling as he watched Aya blend in with the elderly folks so well.
“Ah~ What a tiring day!”
Aya stretches her hands up high before letting it down with a soft sigh. Jaejoong uttered a silent chuckle, shaking his head from side to side watching Aya hitting her fists lightly on her shoulders.
“You have quite a charm with elderly folks.” Jaejoong teased. Aya giggled before stretching her hands together up front.
“Most of them were abandoned there by their children. Some of them were lucky to even get a visit once a year; some never do at all. So I spend at least once a week there, accompany them, chatting with them, listen to whatever they have to say. They are all like godmothers and godfathers to me. But… instead of saying I was accompanying them… I think it was more like they were accompanying me… not letting me think nonsense those years without any news of you.”
Silence filled the air between them after Aya finished said that. Jaejoong tore his gaze from Aya and threw it to the night scene outside the bus. Just then, a light yawn was heard from Aya, which caused Jaejoong’s attention to be brought back to her. Aya covers her mouth with one hand and looks shyly at Jaejoong.
“There’s still some time before we arrived back. Why don’t you take a short nap?” Jaejoong said as he pats his shoulder lightly. Aya nodded before wrapping her hands around Jaejoong’s left arm and leaned her head to rest on his shoulder. Her cuddle startled Jaejoong at first but seeing the sweet look on her face as she laid asleep on his shoulder, he relaxed his rigid back and threw his gaze once again outside the bus.
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The sudden stop of the bus awaken Jaejoong from his rest, rubbing his eyes lazily as he stares sleepily at his surrounding.
“This is already the last stop. I’m afraid you have to get down the bus.” The bus driver said, looking back at Jaejoong and Aya over his shoulder. Jaejoong nodded and brought his attention to Aya, still sleeping soundly on his shoulder.
“Aya-chan… Wake up now. We have arrived.” Jaejoong spoke softly to her ears while shaking her gently, but she remains motionless. Jaejoong tried shaking her harder but still no response.
“Is everything okay back there?” The bus driver asked.
“Yes.” Jaejoong replied.
Finally, Jaejoong gently slides his hand off Aya’s grip and stood up. He bends his upper body down and carries her up with one hand clasped on her back and the other hooked beneath her knees. Keeping her head gently rested on his chest, Jaejoong took precaution to not wake her up as he carried her down the bus and walks the short distance back to Aya’s house.
“You are not as light as I expected.” Jaejoong muttered jokingly. He glanced down at Aya’s sleeping face and smiled mildly before moving his gaze back to the front path. Aya tries to open her heavy eyelids and saw the outline of a necklace before her blurry vision. Within seconds she gave in to the pressures of her eyelids, closing back her eyes.
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“Tadaima! (We’re back!)” Jaejoong shouted a little loud, hoping Aya’s mother would realize their return. When there wasn’t any response, he presumed she was already asleep since it was already quite late into the night.
Jaejoong moves carefully under the darkness of the house, shrugging his shoulder to switched on a light by the corridor. The light was dim but was enough to shine the paths in the house. He reached Aya’s room, turning his back to the door to push it wider open before he enters.
Jaejoong walks towards Aya’s bed and bends his upper body downward, gently placing Aya down on the bed. When he straightens up, he felt a pressure pulling at his neck. Looking down, he noticed Aya’s hand was clutching on the pendant of his necklace. He reached one hand to the nape of his neck and unlocks the necklace from his neck.
Jaejoong slides Aya’s hand under the blanket and tucks the blanket over Aya’s shoulder, letting a smile at her sleeping face before he turns to walk off out of the door. He turns around, flattening one hand on the door and the other hand wrapping the doorknob, gently pulling the door shut quietly.
Just then, Jaejoong heard soft sobbing coming from somewhere. He scrunched his eyebrows together while taking small careful steps towards the direction the sound was heard and was surprised to see it was Aya’s mother sobbing behind a wall.
“Uemura-kun, sorry to have you see me like this.” Aya’s mother let out one last sob before brushing her hand on the edge of her eyes, wiping off her tears.
“What’s the matter, Mrs. Ueto?” Jaejoong asked with his voice filled with concern. Aya’s mother craned her head over Jaejoong’s shoulder, staring at Aya’s room and Jaejoong follows his eyes to where she was looking.
“Seeing you and Aya just now… reminded me back then when Aya was just 5 years old. Aya and her father involved in a car accident and she was the only one that survived from it… her father never made it. Aya was very close to her father since birth, so his death was a great lost to her. I know she felt guilty that she was the cause of her father’s death. The silly girl… she never spoke since then… It hurts my heart seeing her always with that expressionless face, not responding to anything I said to her… All until that very day…
[+Flashback+]
“Aya-chan, what do you want for dinner tonight?”
Little Aya remained silent by the floor beside the table, drawing at her sketchbook.
A frown made its way to Mrs. Ueto’s face getting the cold shoulder from her little girl. She had tried everything – taking her to a psychiatrist, bringing her to a nursery hoping the crowd of children will make her wanna speak again… everything, but all shows no result. Sometimes she wept silently herself in her room at night. She just lost her husband to a car crash and now this is happening to her daughter. She doesn’t know if she has the strength to carry on life to its original state.
Mrs. Ueto wipes off the drop of tear that escaped her eyes and plastered on a happy face before walking towards her daughter. She can’t give up on her daughter just yet. Her daughter is the most important to her now; she can’t let herself break down.
“What are you drawing?” She asked cheerfully but Aya chooses to ignore her, as usual. She glanced down at the sketchbook and saw Aya drawing something that seems like an alphabet, but drawn into a very unique pattern.
“That’s very pretty. Your art tools seem to be running low. Kaa-san will get you some fresh supply tomorrow, okay?” Mrs. Ueto spoke gently, bending her upper body with her hands rested on her knees.
Aya just continues her drawing, totally ignoring her mother’s presence. Mrs. Ueto reached her hand out to caress Aya’s hair, only to have Aya jerked her hand away with a fierce swing of her hand and Mrs. Ueto fell backward dropping on the floor. Aya then stood up and bolted out of the house as fast as her little legs can take her.
“Aya-chan!!” Mrs. Ueto shouted as she pushed her palms against the floor, lifting herself up. She raced to the door and starts wandering her eyes at the outdoor surrounding, but Aya was already nowhere in sight.
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Aya reached a playground and made her way to a swing hung on a huge tree. She stood on the platform of the swing and starts pushing herself forth and back; her gaze fixed on the pale evening sky.
Her little eyes then spotted the first star of the evening sky. She remembered that star, she seen it that night she was hospitalized – the night of the accident that took her father away from her. Aya could still recall hearing her mother’s fierce crying outside her ward when the doctor broke to her mother the news of her father’s death. She shifts her gaze outside the window of the ward and saw the star on the sky, sparkling so brightly like it is saying hello to her. A thought formed in her mind; that star must be her father, watching over her from above, smiling to her that everything was alright, that he was never gone and forever be by her side, like always.
Aya reached her little hand out to the sky while her other hand tightly gripping the rope of the swing. She pushed herself harder and harder forward; with each push moving her closer to catching the star in her palm.
But then she lost her balance on her last push and fell on the ground flat down on her front. She pushed herself up and stares down at her hand. The side of her palm reaching down to her wrist and half of her arm were brushed with scratches and bleeding slightly.
“Little girl, are you okay?”
Aya was staring blankly at the wound on her hand when suddenly came a young boy around the age of 8, sprinting to her side. Her gaze fixed on the young boy crouched down beside her, gently taking hold of her hand and observing the wound.
“Does it hurt?” He asked worriedly. Aya didn’t reply but instead her face slowly scrunched up tight before she burst out crying like all the sadness within her were suddenly all released.
“It’s okay. Let it all out.” The young boy spoke gently. He just stayed beside Aya silently, letting her cry with all her might.
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After treating the wound on Aya’s hand, the young boy carried Aya around the neighborhood, helping her get home.
“Where is your house? I’m sure your parents are worried that you aren’t home so late.” The young boy asked but Aya just stayed motionless in his embrace with her eyes wide open, staring at the necklace dangling on his neck. He presumed she was exhausted from crying just now and didn’t bother questioning any longer.
The more she stares at the pendant of the necklace, the more she finds it familiar. The pendant was a very unique design of the letter ‘J’. Then she remembered it looking exactly like the one she drew in her sketchbook early that day. She held the pendant on her palm and remained her gaze on it.
“Pretty, isn’t it? It was specially made.”
Aya looked up at the young boy before returning her gaze to the pendant.
“What’s your name?” The young boy tried to talk again.
“Aya-chan!!”
The boy paused his steps and brought his gaze to the direction of a lady running towards him. He could see panic written all over her face.
“Aya-chan, there you are. I was so worried.” Mrs. Ueto held her hands together upon her chest when she reached the young boy’s side.
“This little girl is your daughter?” The boy asked.
“Yes, thank you for finding her.” Mrs. Ueto thanked the boy with a relief smile. She looks down at Aya and saw Aya’s hand bandaged.
“Why is your hand bandaged?” Mrs. Ueto asked worriedly with one hand placed on Aya’s bandaged arm. Aya just silently stares at her mother so the boy spoke on her behalf.
“She fell down from a swing and caused some minor wounds. But I have already taken care of it. I think she is exhausted from crying just now.”
“She cried? No wonder her eyes are red and swollen.” She placed one hand on the side of Aya’s face, rubbing at the surface below Aya’s eyes while Aya just stare at her with those emotionless eyes.
“Okay, I am returning you to your Kaa-san now.” The boy whispered softly to Aya before handing her to her mother. As Mrs. Ueto extended her hand to accept Aya, she found the boy not releasing. It seems Aya’s hand was tightly clutching the pendant of his necklace.
“I’m sorry about that. Aya-chan, let go now.” Mrs. Ueto spoke gently to Aya but Aya refused to release her grip on the pendant.
The young boy then reached his hand to the nape of his neck and unlocks the necklace from his neck. Aya was then successfully handed to her mother.
“I will be going off now.”
“Okay. Thanks again young boy.” Mrs. Ueto thanked him with a bow of the head.
The young boy caresses Aya’s hair gently and smiled at her.
“Take care little girl.”
He gave a light bow to Mrs. Ueto before walking off.
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“Aya-chan, you must be hungry. Kaa-san will go prepare dinner for you.” Mrs. Ueto said while bending her upper body toward Aya, caressing her hair lightly; Aya-chan just stares blankly at the necklace on her palm without any reply.
Mrs. Ueto frowned slightly, uttering a sigh before straightening herself and headed to the kitchen.
“A…ari…gatou… Kaa-san.”
Mrs. Ueto halted her pace, slowly turning back looking at her daughter staring at her.
“What… what did you say just now?” Mrs. Ueto spoke breathlessly. She walks back to Aya’s side and had her trembling hands rubbing the sides of Aya’s arms, staring at her with tears filled eyes.
“What did you call me just now?” Mrs. Ueto spoke through quivering throat, trying hard to conceal her excitement.
“Kaa-san…” Aya repeated.
The tears could no longer hold in as it flows rapidly down Mrs. Ueto’s face. She hugs Aya tightly in her embrace and buried her face on Aya’s tiny shoulder.
“Aya-chan… You don’t know how long I have waited for you to call me that again. My precious Aya…” Mrs. Ueto’s voice fades down to a whisper, repeating Aya’s name as she held Aya in her embrace.
[+End Flashback+]
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“It was the exact ‘J’ letter pendant?” Jaejoong asked and Mrs. Ueto nodded.
“I never thought Aya would meet the boy again after so many years, not only returning the necklace to him but even become the most important love of her life. I was always very thankful of the boy for returning Aya from the dark shelter she had been hiding herself in.”
Jaejoong stares back at the door of Aya’s room, shocked and speechless.
“Well, it is very late now. Good night Uemura-kun.”
“Good night Mrs. Ueto.” Jaejoong snapped from his daze and replied. Aya’s mother patted Jaejoong’s shoulder lightly before leaving to her room.
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Jaejoong sprinted back to his room, locking the door and promptly rushed to his laptop on the table.
Not bother of the time, he pops up the videoconferencing and waited for Changmin to response at the other line.
“Come on Changmin…” Jaejoong mumbled impatiently.
Not long after, Changmin appeared on the screen, rubbing his eyes and had a grumpy look on his face.
“Hyung… I just got to sleep. I have early class tomorrow”
“You can skip class for tomorrow. This is urgent. Have you checked on the thing I asked?” Jaejoong asked impatiently.
“I was going to check on more information before I report to you. It seems there are more to this Uemura Kazuki that we don’t know. His parents aren’t his real parents. You were right; he was adopted from the same orphanage you came from. And…”
“And what, Changmin?”
“I thought it was surprising enough he looked exactly like you… and even came from the same orphanage as you… but there’s something even more shocking…”
Jaejoong waited impatiently for Changmin to continue.
“He even has the same birth date as you, Hyung.”
Jaejoong plopped back against his chair with his fingers cupped his chin and his eyebrows scrunched together.
“It seems I have to do some personal research…”
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Author's Note: Here you go. Now you know the official meeting of Kazuki and Aya. Yes, the young boy that lead to little Aya speaking again is Kazuki. How small the world is for them.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comments and criticism are more than welcomed! See you again in another 3 days.