Little kids...

By Jara (monalisassecret@yahoo.com) and hidoko (voidmatsumoto@yahoo.co.uk).
 
 

"This is your first day in school, now remember to be on your best behavior ok?"

"Yes, Father."

"That's my good boy. Now go on."

Little Tetsu walked behind the teacher who was leading him into the classroom. He turned back with tearful eyes and waved goodbye to his father.
 

Recess time

Little Tetsu was walking out to the playground to find a good place to sit down and play, but he saw three boys harassing a pretty little girl with long dark hair. He frowned. /Father always said boys should not make girls cry. / With that in mind, he stormed towards the three bullies.

"Leave her alone! Don't you know it's not right to make girls cry?"

Hearing this, the three 'tough guys' laughed out loud. "Girl?"

Seeing the tearstained face of the young girl, Tetsu ordered bravely, "I said leave her alone, you bullies!"

"Yea, make us, shorty." The leader said as he pushed Tetsu down to the ground and punch him.  The other two joined in and when they decided that they had enough, they left him alone.

His clothes got all dirty, his hair was disheveled, and his lips were bloody. Despite the pain, Tetsu looked up courageously to see the girl standing next to him, offering her hand to help him up. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the blood from little Tetsu's lip.

"Thank you," Whispered the quiet voice.

"You are welcome. Those bullies had no right making you cry like that. My father says  boys should not make girls cry."

Smiling, the dark-haired child answered, "But I'm not a girl, I'm a boy."

"But you look like girl."

Laughing, the boy replied, "People always say that. My name is Hyde. What is yours?"

"Tetsu."

"Nice to meet you Tetsu and thank you for coming to my rescue." Hyde added, giggling, "You are just like a Prince who comes to the rescue of the Pretty Princess!"

Tetsu thought to himself, /Well you really are pretty/

"Why were those guys being mean to you?"

"I wanted to play marbles and they wouldn't let me. I really like to play marbles."

Tetsu smiled sweetly and dug into his pocket, to pull out a bag. "I have marbles. Do you want to play with me?"

"Sure!" Hyde beamed.

Both of them sat on the ground and began their game.

Little Hyde was aiming for a pretty blue marble, but he missed.

Little Tetsu nicked the marble and managed to move it, so he won it over.

Eyes watering, Little Hyde stared for a moment. Then his lips started to quiver, "I wanted that marble."

Looking at his new friend, Little Tetsu smiled and told him, "Here, you can have it."

Little Hyde squealed in joy. "You are the best friend of all time!"

Blushing Little Tetsu smiled, and watched as Little Hyde took the marble from his grasp.

"I will draw you a picture," Little Hyde grinned cheerfully and went to his bag to take out a pad and pencil. For a couple of minutes, he stared intently at his paper as he drew. When he finished, he gave it to Tetsu. "Here you go, Tetsu!"

Looking at the strange picture, Tetsu remarked, "It's really a pretty... uh... yeah, kitten!"

Hyde's eyes started to well up with tears again. "It's supposed to be a dolphin."

Not wanting to hurt his friend, he responded quickly, "Oh! Dumb me, I have never seen a dolphin. I love it. I will always like dolphins from now on. They will be my favorite of all animals."

Smiling, Little Hyde asked, "Really?"

Little Tetsu nodded while he replied, "Uh huh."

It wasn't soon before recess time was over, so the two smiling little boys walked back to class together.
 

Spring

When the slush had fully melted and the spring was in full blossom, both of them were sitting under the large tree at their secret hiding place.

"My dad taught me to make a swing," Hyde told Tetsu, and pointed up to the tree. "Just tie a rope to a wheel and hang from the branches, and you get a swing!"

"Do you want to make swing?" Tetsu asked, looking up. The sunlight poured through the canopy, and he raised his hand to shield his eyes. Overhead, a few birds were perched high up in the tree.

"I want to!" Hyde replied immediately, and started pulling on Tetsu's sleeves. "Will we? Will we?"

"Uh huh," Tetsu muttered and thought for a moment. "We might have extra wheels in the garage. You go and look for a rope, okay?"

"Un~" Hyde nodded cheerfully, and, hand-in-hand, both of them sprinted back onto the main road, back to their homes. While Hyde had located a satisfactory length of rope, Tetsu was unable to find any tires. Hyde came running to him, with the coil of rope under his arm. "Tetsu! Look, I found it!"

"Hyde, but... I can't find the wheel..." Tetsu sighed helplessly.

Upon hearing that, Little Hyde's eyes brimmed with tears, and he disappointedly hung his head. "But, Hyde really wants to swing... I never get to swing in the school playground, the girls are always taking it."

Little Tetsu could not say anything, so he lowered his head in silence. It was getting unbearable, so he finally said, "I'm really sorry. Come on, I'm sure we can find something else to play with?"

Hyde shook his head sadly.

Tetsu thought for a moment, and, suddenly, an idea crept into his mind. He remembered seeing that a neighbor had a car somewhere down the corner, and a spare tire always hung by a high branch of a tree just in case.

"Wait for me," He patted Hyde's shoulder and sprinted over to the neighbor's garden. Sure enough, there the tire hung, high up in the tree. He climbed up, straining to reach the tire. Hyde had followed along, and there he stood, watching Tetsu reach for the tire.

"Tetsu, be careful!" He shouted worriedly, but Tetsu looked down and smiled assuringly.

Just as his hand had a grip on the tire and he was about to make his way back, Tetsu's feet slipped and he began to fall. Hyde gasped in shock. Fortunately, he fell into a pile of raked up leaves. Hyde rushed over to help him up, brushing the leaves off his hair. He was in tears.

"Look, Hyde, I got the tire!" Tetsu ignored the little injuries.

Hyde shook his head vigorously, and clung on to Tetsu. "I don't want to swing anymore! I want you to be okay!"

Tetsu threw the tire aside and returned Hyde's gesture. They sat there for a moment, and then both of them climbed out of the leaf pile.

"Look, I'm fine, ok? Don't cry," Tetsu told the little boy comfortingly. "I'll race you to the field!"

Hyde nodded, and with that, Tetsu broke off with a start towards the field. Both the kids ran along the road and turned off at a desolate junction. It hurt to run, but Tetsu felt fine.

Hyde bounced and tackled him, sending both of them flying in a tangle of limbs. They laughed, rolled around a bit, and finally settled down next to each other in the middle of the vast field.

"Hey, that looks like a kitten!" Hyde laughed suddenly, pointing to a vague shape of white clouds in the sky.

"Yup," Tetsu raised a lazy hand to brush away an ant crawling on his neck.

Time passed by. They dozed off while watching the clouds lazily, and by the time both of them woke up, it was already sunset. Hyde was shaking Tetsu with all his might, trying to bring him back into consciousness.

"Tetsu, wake up! It's late!"

Tetsu's eyes peeked open, and he scrambled up next to Hyde. Hyde turned, and looked into the direction which Tetsu was looking at. "The sky is so red, ne?"

"Uh huh!" Hyde replied, looking at Tetsu's face.

"It's very pretty, just like you," Tetsu told him. Hyde blushed a little, and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you!" Hyde laughed. Little Tetsu smiled in return, and both of them stood there for a while.

***

When Tetsu went back home, he found that his neighbor had seen what had happened and had complained to his father. His father simply warned him to stay off others' property, but he did not inquire further.
 

Shopping with dad

"So dad what are we going to get at the jewelry store?"

"A present for your mother."

"Oh, is it her birthday?"

"No."

"Christmas?"

"No."

"Then why?"

"Just because. You don't need a reason to buy someone you love a gift." Dad said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Oh."

Little Tetsu walked over to the display. He was looking at different pendants, when one caught his attention. A pretty blue crystal teardrop on a silver chain. Mesmerized, he thought that Hyde would love that.

Seeing what had caught his son's attention, Dad walked over and bent down. "Its pretty isn't it?"

"Uh huh," Nodding, Tetsu added, "I have a friend who would love it."

Smiling knowingly, Dad inquired, "A pretty friend?"

Still in a daze, Tetsu responded slowly, "Very pretty."

An idea formed in his head, as he thought of what his father had just told him.

"Dad, if I clean the yard from now 'til summer can you buy that for me so I can give it to my friend?"

Seeing the yearning in his son's eyes, Dad agreed. "OK, but remember from now 'til summer. Deal?"

"Deal."
 
 

Recess time again.

Little Tetsu was anxious to get to the playground so he could give Hyde his present. As he approached their favorite spot, he saw Little Hyde crouching by the bushes.

Smiling, Tetsu called out, "Hyde."

Looking up, Hyde smiled and motioned Tetsu to come over.  As Tetsu approached him, he asked, "What are you doing, Hyde?"

Pointing into the bushes, Hyde said happily, "Look I found a kitty-cat. Isn't he cute?"

Little Tetsu looked down at the feline and a smile formed on his lips. Hyde and a cat-- this combination of two made him very happy. He squatted down to take a closer look. "He would look scary if he was all black, but the white ear makes him looks cute."

Sighing regretfully, Little Hyde picked up the kitten and started to pet it. "I like kitties, but my father will not allow any pets. I really wish I had one." After a while, he let it return into the bushes.

The feline rubbed against him and then scampered away. Hyde giggled, and then turned to Tetsu, hugging him tightly. "Hey, I missed you! The weekend was sure long."

"Yeah," Tetsu murmured, hugging him back before letting go.

"So what did you do, Tetsu?" Hyde's arms wrapped around his waist fondly.

"Well... I went shopping with my dad for a present for my mom." Little Tetsu suddenly blushed. After a pause, he added, "I got you something too."

"Me? Really?" Hyde let go of Tetsu and started going 'doki doki'.

"Yes."

"But it's not my birthday or Christmas, so why did you buy me something?"

"Because you don't need a reason to buy someone you love a gift."

"You love me?"

"Of course! You are my bestest friend ever." Beaming, Little Tetsu took out a small box wrapped in pretty blue foil paper with a silver ribbon. "Here."

Taking the gift cautiously, Little Hyde unwrapped it carefully and slowly. He opened the black velvet box and gasped. Tears started to fall from his eyes as he took out the pendant slowly.

"Tetsu, it's beautiful. Did you really really buy it for me?"

"Of course silly. Put it on."

"Help me."

Little Tetsu took the chain and fastened it around Hyde's neck.

Hugging Tetsu, Hyde asked softly, "We will be the bestest of friends forever ever, right Tetsu?

"Yep, forever and ever!"

***

So far this story is sweet isn't it?  But unbeknownst to our two little darlings was their fathers' growing rivalry. You see, Tetsu's father is Yoshiki, the once famous drummer of Xjapan and Hyde's father is Toshi, the once famous lead singer for this same band.

When the breakup of this group on the insistence of Toshi who wanted to devote his life to his family happened, Yoshiki was left with a bitter resentment for him.  He wanted Xjapan to go on forever.

Now, so it happens that father's day was coming up and the children were told to bring their fathers for a special celebration. Each father had promised to be there. They were curious about their sons' best friend, who quoting their kids was "the bestest friend in the world and they would be friends forever."
 
 

Father's Day

Little Tetsu and Little Hyde were playing marbles as usual. They were both waiting anxiously for their dads to arrive. Little Tetsu wanted his dad to meet his bestest friend and Little Hyde wanted the same thing.

As they played, Yoshiki arrived first. He saw his child playing with a pretty little girl who was wearing a blue teardrop pendant. / Ahh, so that must be Tetsu's little friend. /

As he approached the children, Yoshiki called Tetsu's name. Hearing his father's voice, Little Tetsu raised his head and smiled a big smile. "Dad."

Rushing over to his father, Tetsu jumped into his open arms and hugged him. His father swung him around and they both laughed. Putting him down, Yoshiki asked, "Is that your bestest friend?"

Nodding, Little Tetsu took his dad's hand and led him to Little Hyde. Standing next to Little Hyde, he said, "This is my bestest friend Hyde."

Smiling shyly, Little Hyde spoke softly, "Hello."

Hearing his voice, Yoshiki realized that Hyde was a boy, not a girl like he suspected. That didn't seem to faze him though, because he knelt down and smiled at Little Hyde. "Nice to meet you, Hyde."

Toshi, Hyde's father, arrived shortly after the meeting. As he was walking towards his son, he saw a familiar figure. "Yoshiki!"

Hearing his name, Yoshiki turned and stood still. Here was the one person who he loathed the most. His voice changed immediately into a vile undertone. "What are you doing here, Toshi?"

"It's Father's day and I came to spend it with my son. What are you doing here?"

"I also came to spend it with my son."

Walking over to Hyde, Toshi put his arm around him. "This is my son Hyde."

Yoshiki too put his arms around Tetsu, "This is my son Tetsu."

Feeling the undercurrents of anger, the two children began to fidget and left their father's arms. They stood next to each other. By consent, Tetsu asked, "Do you know each other, Father?'

"Yes," They replied in unison, still glaring at each other.

"That is so good, isn't it Hyde? Our fathers are friends just like we are."

Hyde nodded innocently, "Uh huh!"

"No!" Yoshiki interrupted angrily.  "We will never be friends and neither will you. Tetsu I don't want you associating with that dirty kid anymore."

"You too Hyde." Toshi agreed harshly, "I do not want you playing with that man's son ever again. You are to stay away from him. Do you hear me?"

"But, Dad?" Tetsu whispered in shock.

"No buts, Tetsu, you heard me," Was his father's firm reply.

"Father what is wrong? Why can't I be friends with Tetsu? He is my bestest friend." Hyde protested fervently, tears falling from his eyes and rolling down his cheeks. "I do not not want to be friends with him. We are friends forever."

"I don't want you seeing him, Hyde."

Yoshiki put his hands on his hips indignantly. "Don't worry Toshi, my son wont be seeing yours ever again. Not like he wants to anyway."

Holding Hyde closely and wiping his tears away gently, Tetsu voiced brokenly, looking up at both fathers. "He is my friend! You can't make me not be friends with him. You can't tell me not to see him. You can't!"

"Tetsu I am your father! You will do as I say!"

"NO!"

Grabbing Tetsu by the arm, Yoshiki tried to pull the children apart. "Let go of him, Tetsu!"

"NO! You cant make me not be friends with him!"

They children hugged each other even more tightly.

Toshi grabbed Hyde and also tried to pull him away from Tetsu. "Hyde, you will stay away from Tetsu! Don't you ever see him again!"

"No father! Please don't do this...!" cried Hyde.

"Don't worry Toshi, Hyde and Tetsu wont be seeing each other again, because I'm sending Tetsu away."

"No! You can't send Tetsu away..."

Breaking the crying children free, each father dragged their sons and stalked off in opposite direction.

"Hyde! No you can't do this. He is my friend. You can't do this." He kicked his legs. He wanted to get down and run to Hyde, but his father's hold on him was too strong, so he wept openly for what he knew he was losing. His best friend.

"Tetsu! I love you....! We will be friends forever...!"

Those were the last words Little Tetsu ever heard Little Hyde utter.
 
 

Some time down the road

The sunlight peeking through the canopy was welcoming, and he saw fragments of the blue sky above his head. There had not been this kind of blue sky in such a long time, for what seemed like forever it had been increasing blazing hot, and suddenly the temperature dropped to so low that everyone wore wind breakers, which was usually scarce in the tropics where they lived in.

The sky looked so familiar. Right in his mind's eye he saw a huge field in front of him, a vast field which reached to the horizon.  He suddenly recalled his childhood, which he had spent in his homeland.  He remembered this little boy-- who looked like a pretty girl-- and he remembered how they used to be best friends. He couldn't quite recall his name right then.

He remembered how his father dragged the crying him away from that kid on that day. It had been cruel, but recently Yoshiki had seemed to grow old-- not that it showed on the appearance, but inside he apparently was getting tired. He had started to forgive his father.

The thought hadn't appeared in his mind for so many years, why should he remember it now? He laughed to himself, trying to forget the unhappy past, and carried on his way to the airport.

Yoshiki had said that he wanted to go back before he grew really old and sick. The airport seemed so depressing yet welcoming; there were no one to see them off, which was probably much better.

After more than ten hours-- he must have fallen asleep since he couldn't remember what was the time-- they stepped out into the a street dyed in redness from the sunset. He had not seen such red sunsets in a long time. January snow covered the ground, and the kids were playing around with the slush.

Hyde and his teardrop pendant floated into his mind.

He shook his head, and Yoshiki asked him what was wrong. Nothing, he replied. Then Yoshiki told him that they were going to visit an old friend. Tetsu did not ask; he just followed.

Then they reached the "friend's" house. It was in excellent condition, though a bit desolate.

"Yoshiki," Toshi's expression was unreadable, and something flashed in his eyes. It had been so long; it seemed like a longing. Yoshiki nodded with an equal emotion, and they embraced. "Is that... Your son...?"

"Yes..."

They went into the house, and Tetsu knew well enough that he was not wanted around those chats and reminiscence, so like a little kid he hid in a corner reading a book.

"I really regret this. That we used to be enemies," His father coughed a little, "and then we quarreled because of such matters. And I suppose we were really fools to think our kids would be spoilt if we let them associate with each other."

"... So do I... I wish I never did what I did."

Then the voice seemed a bit more cheerful; "Where's your kid-- What's his name, Hyde?"

The other voice seemed to grow dead. "He's out there... Maybe it's time to show your kid my son's whereabouts, too..."

Without even superficial friendly talks, they trudged on in silence in the fading light, where the snow still covered the ground. Even inside his jacket, he felt a sudden chill. He wondered what Hyde would look like after all these years. Maybe he grew prettier. Maybe he still wore that teardrop pendant, he thought, smiling to himself.

Then they arrived to a small grave in the vast field. A cross and a sculpture of an angel behind a stone, set in the middle of loneliness.

"This is the field near the school you both went to," Toshi whispered detachedly. He glanced down at the grave and smiled.

Tetsu couldn't believe that Hyde was gone.

"He wanted me to give you this," The man did not look up at Tetsu, he just held out his hand with a box in it.

Tetsu took it slowly, and opened it up to see. Lying there, glittering in the fading sunlight was... That teardrop pendant.

"Let's go," Toshi said to Yoshiki, who nodded. Tetsu stood rooted there, looking at the pendant... And then he looked down at the tombstone. It said 1982- 1993... Hyde had been  eleven.

He walked away when the sun had set completely, and the sky was filled with the thousands of stars overhead.  Strangely, there was no sadness, no pain, nothing... Just an empty void as if something had been taken away from him.

When he walked towards the main road, in the dimly lit road light, he saw a cat which had been ran over by a car. The insides were spilling out, and the blood looked fresh.

Hyde... He grasped the pendant tightly, and, not knowing when, pain found its way; tears flowed down his cheeks. Without a thought, his grasp on the pendant tightened, and he walked towards the carcass, picking it up as if it was a baby, as if it would heal simply because it was in his arms. He did not even notice that the blood was dying his shirt red.

"HONK!"

He felt a sudden impact before he was sent flying in the air. Even as he landed, he held on to the cat tightly. Everything faded into darkness, as the crystal dropped to the ground and shattered with a loud crack...

/Hyde, we're best friends forever and ever.../

(you know you're really bored when you're listening to Michael Freako's album.. )

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